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