Primary education, duration in South Korea
South Korea: Primary education, duration was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Primary education, duration in South Korea, 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 6 years for primary education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, duration in South Korea peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.
That places South Korea 25th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
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More education data for South Korea
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 10.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.9% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 173,133 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.8% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 101.0% (2024)
- Labor force, female 44.4% (2025)
- Labor force, total 29.87 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, duration in South Korea?
- Primary education, duration in South Korea was 6 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- How does South Korea rank for primary education, duration?
- South Korea ranks 25th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, duration rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.