Declining Student Numbers in South Korea Lead to the Closure of More Than 4,000 Schools
The rapid decline in South Korea’s student population continues to have serious consequences for the education system. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education, more than 4,000 schools—comprising elementary, middle, and high schools—have been closed nationwide due to falling student numbers.
Figures released to the public by Jin Sun-mee, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, show that a total of about 4,000 schools under 17 regional education offices have ceased operations to date. Of the schools closed, the vast majority were elementary schools, numbering 3,674, while 264 middle schools and 70 high schools were also shut down. In the past five years alone, 158 schools have closed, and an additional 107 closures are expected over the next five years.
Officials emphasize that this situation is largely driven by South Korea’s status as the country with the lowest birth rate in the world. With the total fertility rate remaining below 0.8, it is far below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain the population. Experts note that the decline in student numbers is occurring more rapidly in provincial regions than in the capital area.
Meanwhile, the future of closed school buildings has become a subject of growing debate. According to the data, 376 of the approximately 4,000 closed schools remain unused; 266 of them have been idle for more than 10 years, and 82 have been abandoned for over 30 years. This situation has intensified criticism regarding the inefficient use of public resources.