12 answers, 6 from South Korea's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
Spending on private education for South Korean school pupils totalled 27.5 trillion won in 2025, 5.7% less than in 2024, according to the Private Education Expenditures Survey, released 12 March 2026 by the Ministry of Data and Statistics and the Ministry of Education.
Average monthly spending was 458,000 won per pupil, down 3.5%, but 604,000 won per pupil who took part, up 2.0%. Spending was 12.2 trillion won for elementary pupils (down 7.9%), 7.6 trillion for middle school (down 3.2%) and 7.8 trillion for high school (down 4.3%). The number of pupils fell 2.3% to 5.02 million, which also lowers the total.
75.7% of South Korean elementary, middle and high school pupils took part in private education in 2025, 4.3 points fewer than in 2024, according to the Private Education Expenditures Survey. The rate was 84.4% in elementary school, 73.0% in middle school and 63.0% in high school.
Pupils who took part spent an average of 7.1 hours a week on it, 0.4 hours less than a year earlier. The survey covers school pupils only, not pre-school children or adults.
76.3% of the relevant age group were enrolled in tertiary education in South Korea in 2025, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' Social Indicators in 2025. Enrolment rates were 99.9% in elementary school, 97.3% in middle school and 94.4% in high school.
The enrolment rate compares students of the typical age for each level with everyone in that age group. Because rates are close to 100% for compulsory schooling, changes over time show up mainly at high school and tertiary level.
202,000 elementary, middle and high school pupils in South Korea had an immigrant background in 2025, 4.0% of all pupils, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' Social Indicators in 2025. The ministry describes the share as rising.
The total number of school pupils fell 2.3% to 5.02 million in 2025, according to the Private Education Expenditures Survey, so the share can rise even when the number of pupils with an immigrant background changes little. The number of long-term foreign residents in Korea reached 2.159 million in 2025.
57.3% of South Korean middle and high school pupils were satisfied with their school life in 2024, up 6.2 points from 2022, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' 2024 Social Survey. 74.9% said they studied to get a decent job.
60.9% of parents said their children's education costs were a burden, 3.2 points more than in 2022. The survey also found that 61.3% of people aged 13 and over felt they had reached the level of education they wanted.
South Korean government spending on education was 5.4% of GDP in 2022, according to the World Bank's education expenditure indicator, up from 4.6% in 2021.
The figure covers public spending by central and local government on all levels of education. It does not include household spending on private tutoring, which the national survey put at 27.5 trillion won for school pupils in 2025. In the 2027 budget proposal, education spending is 110.7 trillion won, much of it a grant to local education offices.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2017, is 97.3%. Its high point since 2005 was 2008, at 99.5%; its low point was 2013, at 95.4%. East Asia & Pacific median: 94.6%; South Korea is 6th highest of 16. Worldwide: 32nd of 134.
In 2024, gross secondary school enrolment in South Korea was 96.3%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 5th highest of 16 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 92.0%. World rank, highest first: 44th of 100.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross tertiary enrolment in South Korea was 111.9% in 2024. No year since 2005 has been higher. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 47.4%, and South Korea placed 1st highest of 15. Of 90 countries with 2024 data, 2nd highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, government spending on education in South Korea was 5.4% of GDP in 2022. No year since 2015 has been higher. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 4.5% of GDP, and South Korea placed 8th highest of 22. World rank, highest first: 32nd of 155.
16: that is the number of primary pupils per teacher in South Korea for 2017, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. No year since 2005 has been lower. It is 12th highest of 18 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 18. World rank, highest first: 77th of 130.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 102.9%. The peak was 104.4% in 2013 and the low 96.0% in 2022. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 98.9%, and South Korea placed 4th highest of 20. World rank, highest first: 14th of 104.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error