Secondary education, pupils in South Korea
South Korea: Secondary education, pupils was 2.66 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Secondary education, pupils in South Korea, 1971–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, secondary education, pupils in South Korea stood at 2.66 million.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in South Korea peaked at 5.03 million in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.91 million, in 1971.
South Korea ranks 43rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.85 million | 1.91 million | 3.69 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 4.62 million | 4.00 million | 5.03 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.52 million | 4.18 million | 4.71 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.83 million | 3.65 million | 3.99 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.43 million | 2.73 million | 3.96 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.65 million | 2.63 million | 2.67 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Population ages 0-14 10.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.5% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (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 secondary education, pupils in South Korea?
- Secondary education, pupils in South Korea was 2.66 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.03 million in 1987.
- What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.91 million in 1971.
- How does South Korea rank for secondary education, pupils?
- South Korea ranks 43rd out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is secondary education, pupils rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Secondary education, pupils. 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
Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.