School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea
South Korea: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 1.38 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea stood at 1.38 million.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 2.10 million in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.32 million, in 2019.
That places South Korea 63rd out of 220 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.87 million | — |
| 2001 | 1.85 million | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 1.86 million | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.91 million | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 1.99 million | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 2.06 million | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 2.10 million | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 2.10 million | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 2.07 million | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 2.03 million | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 1.99 million | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 1.91 million | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.87 million | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 1.82 million | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 1.72 million | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 1.58 million | -8.2% |
| 2016 | 1.46 million | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 1.38 million | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 1.34 million | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 million | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 1.36 million | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 1.38 million | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 1.37 million | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 1.36 million | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 1.38 million | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.99 million | 1.85 million | 2.10 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.64 million | 1.32 million | 1.99 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 million | 1.36 million | 1.38 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 173,133 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in South Korea was 1.38 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.10 million in 2006.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.32 million in 2019.
- How does South Korea rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- South Korea ranks 63rd out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release