Public education spending per student in Korea has surpassed the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average. However, this applies only to the primary and secondary levels; in higher education, including junior colleges, universities, and graduate schools, Korea's public education spending fell below the OECD average.
The Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) on the 9th released the results of "OECD education indicators 2025." The OECD compares education-related indicators such as education finance, students and teachers, and participation in education across 49 countries and publishes them annually.
As of 2022, Korea's public education expenditure funded by the government stood at 4.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), exceeding the OECD average of 4%. That year, public education expenditure per student was $19,805 (about 27.52 million won), also higher than the OECD average of $15,023.
However, public education expenditure was high at the "primary and secondary education" level, which refers to Korea's elementary, middle, and high schools, and low at the "higher education" level, which refers to junior college and above. Per-student public education expenditure was ▲ $19,749 for primary education ▲ $25,267 for secondary education, about $7,000 and $11,000 higher than the OECD averages, respectively. By contrast, higher education expenditure was $14,695, about $7,000 lower than the OECD average of $21,444. The same pattern held for the ratio of public education spending to GDP.
With the school-age population declining, the number of students per teacher was relatively low. As of 2023, the number of students per teacher was ▲ 15.3 in elementary schools ▲ 12.8 in middle schools ▲ 10.5 in high schools. The figure fell year over year in elementary and middle schools. The number of students per teacher in middle and high schools was lower in Korea than the OECD averages (12.9 in middle schools and 12.7 in high schools).
The number of students per class was ▲ 21.6 in elementary schools ▲ 25.7 in middle schools. It decreased in 2023 compared with 2022. However, it was higher than the OECD averages (20.6 in elementary schools and 23 in middle schools).
Higher education attainment was high in Korea. As of last year, 56.2% of Korean adults (ages 25–64) had completed higher education such as college. This far exceeded the OECD average of 41.9%. In particular, the attainment rate among young adults (ages 25–34) was 70.6%, the highest among the 49 OECD countries. Korea's young adult higher education attainment rate has ranked No. 1 among OECD countries for 17 consecutive years.
In addition, while starting salaries for teachers in Korea last year were lower than the OECD average, pay for 15-year and top-step teachers at national and public schools exceeded $100,000 (about 145.6 million won), higher than the OECD average. The wage gap by final educational attainment—high school graduates, junior college graduates, four-year university graduates, and graduate degree holders—in 2023 widened compared with a year earlier, but remained narrower than the OECD average.