How does South Korea rank for school age population, upper secondary education, male?

South Korea ranks 44th out of 205 countries with data for 2020.

Is school age population, upper secondary education, male rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is down 32.6%. 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, upper secondary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

School age population, upper secondary education, male (number) in South Korea

Name: School age population, upper secondary education, male (number) in South Korea
Creator: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

South Korea: School age population, upper secondary education, male (number) was 761,816 number in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)

761,816 number

Change on year

down 5.3%

World rank

44th

of 205 countries

All-time high

1.40 million number

in 1988

All-time low

761,816 number

in 2020

Years of data

1970–2020

School age population, upper secondary education, male in South Korea, 1970–2020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2020, school age population, upper secondary education, male in South Korea stood at 761,816 number. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.

The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 32.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, male in South Korea peaked at 1.40 million number in 1988 and was at its lowest, 761,816 number, in 2020.

That places South Korea 44th out of 205 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

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

School age population, upper secondary education, male (number) in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for School age population, upper secondary education, male (number) in South Korea, 1970 to 2020.
Year	number	Change
1970	1.07 million number	—
1971	1.15 million number	+6.8%
1972	1.22 million number	+6.7%
1973	1.29 million number	+5.5%
1974	1.34 million number	+3.8%
1975	1.36 million number	+1.8%
1976	1.37 million number	+0.3%
1977	1.36 million number	-0.2%
1978	1.36 million number	-0.2%
1979	1.36 million number	-0.4%
1980	1.35 million number	-0.3%
1981	1.35 million number	+0.2%
1982	1.35 million number	-0.0%
1983	1.35 million number	-0.1%
1984	1.36 million number	+0.3%
1985	1.37 million number	+0.7%
1986	1.37 million number	+0.5%
1987	1.39 million number	+0.9%
1988	1.40 million number	+0.6%
1989	1.39 million number	-0.3%
1990	1.37 million number	-1.8%
1991	1.33 million number	-2.5%
1992	1.29 million number	-3.4%
1993	1.24 million number	-3.4%
1994	1.21 million number	-2.4%
1995	1.20 million number	-0.7%
1996	1.20 million number	-0.1%
1997	1.21 million number	+0.9%
1998	1.22 million number	+0.6%
1999	1.21 million number	-0.9%
2000	1.17 million number	-3.3%
2001	1.11 million number	-5.0%
2002	1.04 million number	-5.9%
2003	990,495 number	-5.1%
2004	964,924 number	-2.6%
2005	978,997 number	+1.5%
2006	1.02 million number	+4.0%
2007	1.07 million number	+4.8%
2008	1.11 million number	+3.9%
2009	1.13 million number	+2.2%
2010	1.13 million number	-0.3%
2011	1.10 million number	-2.4%
2012	1.07 million number	-2.7%
2013	1.04 million number	-2.6%
2014	1.01 million number	-3.2%
2015	967,272 number	-4.4%
2016	914,326 number	-5.5%
2017	857,573 number	-6.2%
2018	804,220 number	-6.2%
2019	804,220 number	+0.0%
2020	761,816 number	-5.3%

South Korea compared with similar countries

South Korea's 761,816 number is above the median for high income countries, which is 65,564 number, 11.6× the median. (75 countries reporting)
South Korea's 761,816 number is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56,208 number, 13.6× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	1.29 million number	1.07 million number	1.37 million number	10
1980s	1.37 million number	1.35 million number	1.40 million number	10
1990s	1.25 million number	1.20 million number	1.37 million number	10
2000s	1.06 million number	964,924 number	1.17 million number	10
2010s	971,122 number	804,220 number	1.13 million number	10
2020s	761,816 number	761,816 number	761,816 number	1

Countries ranked near South Korea

41 Cameroon 834,999 number compare
42 Malaysia 810,911 number compare
43 Uzbekistan 769,554 number compare
45 Somalia 743,821 number compare
46 Niger 734,778 number compare
47 Mozambique 718,113 number compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More education data for South Korea

Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
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)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, upper secondary education, male in South Korea?: School age population, upper secondary education, male in South Korea was 761,816 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, male recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 1.40 million number in 1988.
What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, male recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 761,816 number in 2020.
How does South Korea rank for school age population, upper secondary education, male?: South Korea ranks 44th out of 205 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, upper secondary education, male rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is down 32.6%. 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, upper secondary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, upper secondary education, male in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-upper-secondary-education-male-number/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: School age population, upper secondary education, male (number)
Unit: number
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 250 places, 12,264 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026

Male population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to upper secondary education as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.