Data compiled by Statistics Korea — a department under the ROK’s Ministry of Economy and Finance responsible for the collection of statistics — showed that spending on private education for South Korean students shot up 10.8% on-year in 2022. Total spending on private education for primary, middle, and high school students amounted to about $20 billion (26 trillion won) in 2022. The total spending on private education increased despite a consistent decline in the country’s birth rate.

About 78.3% of South Korean students received private education in 2022. Parents and students spent the most money on private English classes, followed by math and Korean. Elementary school students spent on average more than seven hours in private academies, while high school students spent more than six hours.