Korea’s K-12 enrollment hits record low as immigrant-background students hit record high

South Korea saw a significant drop in K-12 enrollment in 2024, falling to a record low of 5.36 million students, as the country's birth rate continues to decline. The number of students from multicultural and immigrant backgrounds, however, reached a record high of 210,838, marking a 4.3% increase from the previous year. Vietnamese students were the largest group of multicultural students, comprising 30.9% of the total, followed by Chinese students (26.7%) and Filipino students (8.1%).

International student enrollment at South Korean universities also surged to 307,464, up 21.3% from the previous year, with degree-program students increasing by 24.6%. The Education Ministry attributed the decline to the country's declining birth rate and attributed the rise in multicultural students to policies aimed at attracting international students.