Primary education, teachers in South Korea

South Korea: Primary education, teachers was 173,133 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
173,133
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
39th
of 204 countries
All-time high
173,133
in 2024
All-time low
101,095
in 1971
Years of data
54
1971–2024

Primary education, teachers in South Korea, 1971–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k197119972024

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

In 2024, primary education, teachers in South Korea stood at 173,133. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in South Korea peaked at 173,133 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 101,095, in 1971.

That places South Korea 39th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 107,902 101,095 115,245 9
1980s 125,218 117,290 132,527 10
1990s 133,383 122,449 139,096 10
2000s 141,788 125,477 155,554 10
2010s 164,579 158,056 166,710 10
2020s 169,582 166,424 173,133 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 36 Peru 199,824 compare
  2. 37 Morocco 189,855 compare
  3. 38 Colombia 180,781 compare
  4. 40 Afghanistan 163,167 compare
  5. 41 Nepal 157,456 compare
  6. 42 Yemen 144,824 compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, teachers in South Korea?
Primary education, teachers in South Korea was 173,133 in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 173,133 in 2024.
What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 101,095 in 1971.
How does South Korea rank for primary education, teachers?
South Korea ranks 39th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 9,469 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.