Birth Crisis Empties Primary Schools in South Korea

The number of new first-grade students enrolling in primary schools in South Korea is expected to fall below 300,000 next year for the first time in the country's history, amid the continuing fallout of declining birth rates. According to data from Statistics Korea and the Korean Educational Development Institute, the number of children born in 2020 who will enter first grade in the 2027 school year will not exceed 300,000, only three years after the figure dropped below 400,000. The country recorded 272,337 births in 2020, a 10 percent decline from the previous year, while first-grade enrollment this year reached 301,442 students, the lowest level since 1964. The decline raises fears of further school closures, especially in rural areas, and a widening educational gap between regions.