School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in South Korea
South Korea: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.06 years in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
6.06 years
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
88th
of 218 countries
All-time high
6.06 years
in 2024
All-time low
5.92 years
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 6.06 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 6.06 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.92 years, in 2021.
South Korea ranks 88th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.95 years | — |
| 2001 | 5.93 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 5.94 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 6.01 years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 6.01 years | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 6.01 years | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 6.04 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 6.06 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 6.02 years | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 6.03 years | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 6.03 years | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 6.03 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 5.98 years | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 5.96 years | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 5.98 years | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 5.92 years | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 5.92 years | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 5.98 years | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 5.95 years | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 5.92 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 5.94 years | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 6.02 years | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 6.06 years | +0.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6.06 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 1.0× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6.06 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 years | 5.93 years | 6.06 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.98 years | 5.92 years | 6.03 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.98 years | 5.92 years | 6.06 years | 5 |
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 school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Korea?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Korea was 6.06 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.06 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.92 years in 2021.
- How does South Korea rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- South Korea ranks 88th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). 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