South Korea's First-Grade Enrollment Expected to Fall Below 300,000 in 2027 for the First Time on Record
SEOUL — The number of children entering the first grade of elementary school in South Korea in the 2027 school year is expected to fall below 300,000 for the first time since records began in 1964, Yonhap News Agency reported on November 8, citing data compiled by the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI). The threshold would be crossed only three years after enrollment fell below 400,000.
The incoming class was born mainly in 2020, when South Korea recorded 272,337 births, down about 10 percent from 302,676 in 2019, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. A total of 301,442 children entered first grade this year, already the lowest figure on record. Korean media expect the actual 2027 intake to be around 270,000, roughly a quarter of the peak of 1,055,632 recorded in 1968.
First-grade enrollment has fallen year after year, from 431,509 in 2022 to 401,907 in 2023, 353,828 in 2024 and 324,079 in 2025. The figures project a further decline through 2030, though the intake is expected to stay above 200,000 as births rebounded in 2024. The shrinking cohorts are fuelling debate in South Korea over rural school closures, regional education gaps and the efficiency of education spending.
(Source: Yonhap News Agency)
Source: Yonhap News Agency
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：韩国一所小学（资料图）。CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: An elementary school in South Korea (file photo). CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
