Last year, the number of overseas students among children and adolescents recorded over 5,000 for the second consecutive year. Canada and the United States were the most preferred destinations.
According to data from the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) on the status of overseas students, a total of 5,703 elementary, middle, and high school students left Korea for overseas studies last year. This figure shows a slight increase compared to 5,551 in 2023, marking the second consecutive year with over 5,000 students.
Destinations favored include English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, as well as countries with well-established English-based international schools like Malaysia and Singapore.
Last year, the countries most chosen by Korean children and adolescent overseas students were ▲Canada (1,424) ▲United States (1,386) ▲Malaysia (493) ▲New Zealand (364) ▲Philippines (330). In particular, Canada and the United States recorded 7,138 and 6,962 overseas students, respectively, over the past five years (2020-2024).
Meanwhile, the number of Korean children and adolescent overseas students exceeded 9,000 just before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019, then sharply declined due to the pandemic's impact. The number of overseas students was 8,961 in early 2020, which halved to 3,665 the following year in 2021. In 2022, it remained at 3,604.
Then, as we entered 2023, when the World Health Organization (WHO) and major countries like the United States declared the end of public health emergencies, the number recovered to over 5,000.