Private education spending in South Korea hits record $26.8b despite fall in student numbers

SEOUL – South Korea’s private education spending has once again reached an all-time high, totalling 29.2 trillion won (S$26.8 billion) in 2024.

Despite a decline in student enrolment, the average amount spent per student, participation rate and study hours all increased, highlighting an intensifying dependence on private education.

According to data released by the Ministry of Education alongside Statistics Korea on March 13, the total expenditure on private education in 2024 was the highest ever recorded, with a 7.7 per cent increase from 2023.

The surge comes as the number of students nationwide declined by 80,000 to 5.13 million over the same period.

The participation rate in private education also increased to 80 per cent, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous year.

Elementary school students had the highest participation rate at 87.7 per cent, followed by middle school students at 78 per cent and high school students at 67.3 per cent.

Average monthly spending per student on private education rose to 474,000 won, marking a 9.3 per cent increase from 434,000 won the previous year.

Among students who receive private tutoring, the figure jumps to 592,000 won a month.

Spending has risen across all levels, with high school students paying the most at 772,000 won a month, followed by middle schoolers at 628,000 won and elementary students at 504,000 won.

A notable trend in the data is the steep rise in private education spending in rural areas.

The average monthly expenditure per student in non-metropolitan regions rose by 14.9 per cent, from 289,000 won to 332,000 won.

Officials attribute this sharp increase to the country’s growing obsession with medical school admissions.

The government’s expansion of medical school quotas for the 2025 academic year, particularly through regional talent programmes that favour local applicants, has driven more families to move to rural areas to gain eligibility.

According to the Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education, South Korea’s medical school admissions quota for 2025 stands at 4,610 students, with 71.2 per cent, or 3,284 students, allocated to non-metropolitan medical schools.

Among those headed for the 26 medical schools in these regions, nearly 60 per cent, or 1,913 students, will be admitted through regional talent programmes, which typically have lower competition rates and admission thresholds compared with general admission.

Meanwhile, income and regional disparities in private education spending remain stark.

Households earning more than eight million won a month spent an average of 676,000 won per child, more than three times the 205,000 won spent by families earning less than three million won per month.

Although both income groups increased their spending on private education, lower-income households saw a more significant rise of 12.3 per cent, compared with 0.8 per cent for the highest earners.

Regional disparities also widened. Students in Seoul spent the most on private education, with an average of 673,000 won a month, more than double the 320,000 won spent by students in South Jeolla province.

Among students actively engaged in private education, those in Seoul spent an average of 782,000 won a month.

Experts warn that the trend may further entrench disparities between socio-economic groups, exacerbating competition in an already high-pressure academic environment.

“The increasing reliance on private education highlights ongoing concerns about educational inequality and the pressure on students and families to secure academic success through costly supplementary education,” said sociology professor Seol Dong-hoon of Jeonbuk National University.

In a pilot survey covering more than 13,000 children under six, the first time the government officially collected and disclosed data on private education costs for pre-schoolers, an average of 332,000 won was spent per month.

Families with higher income brackets spent nearly seven times more than those in lower-income groups.

With the trend driven largely by demand for early English education, English kindergartens recorded the highest average monthly tuition fees at 1.54 million won.

The survey also showed that 47.6 per cent of children below six participated in private education, with the rate increasing as they grew older.

While 26.4 per cent of children aged two and younger attended private lessons, the rate jumped to 50.3 per cent for three-year-olds and 81.2 per cent for five-year-olds.

The government has pledged to address the issue by improving the quality of public early education while increasing oversight of private academies.

The Ministry of Education said it had developed new English programmes for three- and four-year-olds in kindergartens and daycare centres, which were distributed nationwide in 2025.

Additionally, the authorities have conducted inspections of private early English academies and plan to continue monitoring tuition rates.

However, education experts argue that simply regulating tuition fees or cracking down on misleading advertisements is not enough to curb the growing dependence on private education.

They warn that early private education leads to increased spending on private tutoring in elementary, middle and high school, further fuelling the country’s highly competitive academic environment.

“We need a broader, long-term approach that strengthens public early education to reduce reliance on private academies,” an Education Ministry official said.

“We plan to work with local education offices to promote a more balanced and accessible learning environment for young children.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK