School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: School age population, early childhood education, both sexes was 1.62 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea stood at 1.62 million. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea peaked at 3.86 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.62 million, in 2024.
Republic of Korea ranks 54th of 207 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3.86 million | — |
| 2002 | 3.68 million | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 3.49 million | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 3.32 million | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 3.14 million | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 2.96 million | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 2.81 million | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 2.78 million | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 2.75 million | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 2.71 million | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 2.75 million | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 2.78 million | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 2.79 million | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 2.74 million | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 2.73 million | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 2.72 million | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 2.62 million | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 2.50 million | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 2.36 million | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 2.22 million | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 2.05 million | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 1.88 million | -8.3% |
| 2023 | 1.73 million | -7.7% |
| 2024 | 1.62 million | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.20 million | 2.75 million | 3.86 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.67 million | 2.36 million | 2.79 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.90 million | 1.62 million | 2.22 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More education data for Republic of 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 school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea?
- School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Republic of Korea was 1.62 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, early childhood education, both sexes recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.86 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest school age population, early childhood education, both sexes recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.62 million in 2024.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for school age population, early childhood education, both sexes?
- Republic of Korea ranks 54th out of 207 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, early childhood education, both sexes rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release