Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Korea
South Korea: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary was 16.29 in 2017. ▼ Falling
Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Korea, 1971–2017
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
South Korea recorded 16.29 for pupil-teacher ratio, primary in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 36.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Korea peaked at 56.87 in 1971 and was at its lowest, 16.29, in 2017.
That places South Korea 124th out of 199 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 56.87 | — |
| 1972 | 55.97 | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 54.66 | -2.3% |
| 1974 | 53.07 | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 52.3 | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 51.78 | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 50.25 | -3.0% |
| 1978 | 48.8 | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 48.63 | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 48.09 | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 47.52 | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 45.52 | -4.2% |
| 1983 | 43.87 | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 41.67 | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 39.93 | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 38.31 | -4.1% |
| 1987 | 37.88 | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 36.67 | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 36.37 | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 36.28 | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 35.59 | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 34.43 | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 32.82 | -4.7% |
| 1994 | 31.25 | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 29.71 | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 28.39 | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 30.91 | +8.9% |
| 1998 | 30.91 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 32.23 | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 32.12 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 32.02 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 31.26 | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 30.1 | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 29.02 | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 27.93 | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 26.62 | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 25.59 | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 24.07 | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 22.38 | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 20.92 | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 19.05 | -8.9% |
| 2012 | 17.88 | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 16.85 | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 16.5 | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 16.55 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 16.31 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 16.29 | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 16.29 is above the median for high income countries, which is 13.51, 1.2× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 16.29 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.15, 81% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.48 | 48.63 | 56.87 | 9 |
| 1980s | 41.58 | 36.37 | 48.09 | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.25 | 28.39 | 36.28 | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.11 | 22.38 | 32.12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.54 | 16.29 | 20.92 | 8 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 233,046 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 76 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 434,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 412,067 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.51 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0484 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Korea?
- Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Korea was 16.29 in 2017, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest pupil-teacher ratio, primary recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 56.87 in 1971.
- What is the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, primary recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.29 in 2017.
- How does South Korea rank for pupil-teacher ratio, primary?
- South Korea ranks 124th out of 199 countries with data for 2017.
- Is pupil-teacher ratio, primary rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Pupil-teacher ratio, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Primary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in primary school.