Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Private education spending fell after hitting record high in 2024
A student holding an umbrella walks to an entrance ceremony at an elementary school in Seoul, March 4. Korea Times photo by Kang Ye-jin
By Yi Whan-woo
Declining student population, more after-school programs cited for unusual drop
Korean households spent less on private supplemental education last year, a reversal after spending hit a record-high 29.2 trillion won ($19.7 billion) in 2024, as the school-age population continues to decline, according to government data released Thursday.
The data, released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, showed total spending on private after-school classes for primary, middle and high school students reached 27.5 trillion won in 2025.
Spending by academic level fell across the board — down 7.9 percent to 12.2 trillion won for primary schoolers, 3.2 percent to 7.6 trillion won for middle schoolers and 4.3 percent for high schoolers — resulting in an aggregate decline of 5.7 percent from 2024 to 2025.
This decline ended a four-year streak of increases, which had heightened concerns over excessive academic competition.
The record-high spending in 2024 raised particular concerns, defying expectations that private education expenses would begin to fall as the school-age population declined as part of the larger demographic crisis.
“Under these circumstances, the student population appears to have reached a low level, so that even strong demand for private schooling no longer pushes spending higher,” a data ministry official explained.
The official noted the combined number of primary and secondary students has been falling for years, including a 2.3 percent decline to 5.02 million in 2025 from 5.13 million in 2024.
The Ministry of Education said that education policies, such as the expansion of after-school programs for elementary students, may be behind the fall in private spending, although it is difficult to pinpoint a single cause.
The decline in the school-age population led to a lower participation rate in private supplemental education, which fell 4.3 percentage points from the previous year to 75.7 percent.
For middle school students, the rate dropped 5 percentage points to 73 percent. For high school students, it declined 4.3 percentage points to 63.0 percent, and for elementary school students, it fell 3.3 percentage points to 84.4 percent.
Despite the overall decline in private supplemental education spending, the data showed that the corresponding average monthly spending increased for participating students.
It also showed that the proportion of students spending over 1 million won ($676) per month on private schooling increased, indicating that social polarization is extending to private education as well.
For elementary school students, the average monthly cost for supplemental classes was 512,000 won, up 1.7 percent; for middle school students, it was 632,000 won, up 0.6 percent; and for high school students, it was 793,000 won, up 2.6 percent.
The overall average reached 604,000 won, an all-time high.
Breaking down monthly spending by range, 11.6 percent of students spent 1 million won or more, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year.