Group 1 - The South Korean Ministry of Education reported that the number of first-grade students is expected to fall below 300,000 in March, marking a historical low [1] - Approximately 298,000 first-grade students are anticipated to enroll, a decrease of about 15.5% from 353,000 in 2024 [1] - The number of first-grade students has been declining since 1999 when it was around 710,000, dropping to approximately 468,000 in 2009 and fluctuating around 400,000 for over a decade [1] Group 2 - The total number of students in elementary, middle, and high schools is projected to fall below 5 million by the 2026 academic year, with a further decline expected to drop below 4 million by 2031 [1] - The total fertility rate in South Korea has been declining for several years, reaching a record low of 0.72 in 2023, significantly below the 2.1 needed for population stability [2] - The population of youth aged 9 to 24 in South Korea has decreased by 45.4% from approximately 13.98 million in 1985 to about 7.63 million [2]
韩国一年级新生数量两年下降15% 创新低
Xin Hua She·2026-01-15 02:08