South Korea's primary school enrollment is expected to fall below 400,000 for the first time this year as birth rates hit a record low, according to official forecasts released on Wednesday. According to government data as of December 20, 413,056 children in South Korea are eligible to enter elementary school this year. However, excluding preschool children who apply for deferment or exemption due to overseas immigration, health and other reasons, the actual enrollment in March each year is usually about 90% of the number of eligible children.
South Korean government officials said on Wednesday that based on this ratio, the number of first-grade primary school students this year is expected to be around 350,000 to 390,000. In Seoul, for example, enrollment is expected to drop to about 59,500 from more than 66,000 last year, a drop of more than 10%.
Officials said South Korea's primary school enrollment will further fall below 300,000 in the next two years as the number of children born in 2019 who will enter primary school in 2026 is only 302,676.