School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 453,439 number in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
453,439 number
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
54th
of 204 countries
All-time high
918,144 number
in 1970
All-time low
453,439 number
in 2020
Years of data
51
1970–2020

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea, 1970–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea is 453,439 number, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 25.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea peaked at 918,144 number in 1970 and was at its lowest, 453,439 number, in 2020.

That places Republic of Korea 54th out of 204 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number) in Republic of Korea, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 918,144 number
1971 913,146 number -0.5%
1972 911,766 number -0.2%
1973 911,369 number -0.0%
1974 909,502 number -0.2%
1975 906,834 number -0.3%
1976 897,791 number -1.0%
1977 890,894 number -0.8%
1978 884,308 number -0.7%
1979 880,969 number -0.4%
1980 885,134 number +0.5%
1981 894,730 number +1.1%
1982 899,354 number +0.5%
1983 902,786 number +0.4%
1984 900,503 number -0.3%
1985 883,976 number -1.8%
1986 854,986 number -3.3%
1987 830,120 number -2.9%
1988 803,965 number -3.2%
1989 782,000 number -2.7%
1990 775,782 number -0.8%
1991 784,504 number +1.1%
1992 786,283 number +0.2%
1993 788,761 number +0.3%
1994 783,668 number -0.6%
1995 754,488 number -3.7%
1996 705,168 number -6.5%
1997 664,838 number -5.7%
1998 623,914 number -6.2%
1999 595,097 number -4.6%
2000 602,142 number +1.2%
2001 638,084 number +6.0%
2002 666,160 number +4.4%
2003 693,440 number +4.1%
2004 713,685 number +2.9%
2005 711,454 number -0.3%
2006 693,053 number -2.6%
2007 676,161 number -2.4%
2008 659,215 number -2.5%
2009 638,310 number -3.2%
2010 612,254 number -4.1%
2011 582,052 number -4.9%
2012 550,570 number -5.4%
2013 516,086 number -6.3%
2014 485,138 number -6.0%
2015 467,748 number -3.6%
2016 464,870 number -0.6%
2017 460,527 number -0.9%
2018 455,958 number -1.0%
2019 455,958 number +0.0%
2020 453,439 number -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 902,472 number 880,969 number 918,144 number 10
1980s 863,755 number 782,000 number 902,786 number 10
1990s 726,250 number 595,097 number 788,761 number 10
2000s 669,170 number 602,142 number 713,685 number 10
2010s 505,116 number 455,958 number 612,254 number 10
2020s 453,439 number 453,439 number 453,439 number 1

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 51 Spain 510,170 number compare
  2. 52 Malaysia 483,159 number compare
  3. 53 Zambia 473,702 number compare
  4. 55 Chad 438,664 number compare
  5. 56 Somalia 426,598 number compare
  6. 57 Senegal 420,371 number compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea?
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea was 453,439 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 918,144 number in 1970.
What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 453,439 number in 2020.
How does Republic of Korea rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
Republic of Korea ranks 54th out of 204 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.9%. 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, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-last-grade-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 12,245 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the last grade of primary school as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.