Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in South Korea
South Korea: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in South Korea, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in South Korea stood at 5.4%.
The figure is up 18.7% on the previous year and up 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in South Korea peaked at 6.2% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1975.
South Korea ranks 44th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.1% | 3.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 2.7% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.004 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 0.72 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 0.72 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 0.72 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.937 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.12 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 76.2 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 70.99 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.8078 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.6393 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in South Korea?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in South Korea was 5.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 1982.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1975.
- How does South Korea rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- South Korea ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.