South Korea’s birth rate is falling fast, and this change will affect schools and families. Data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) project that the number of children entering first grade in 2027 will be under 300,000.

South Korea recorded 272,337 births in 2020, a 10% drop from the year before, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This year’s elementary enrollment fell to a record low of 301,442, the smallest number since 1964, while the peak was 1.05 million in 1986.

The shrinking number of school‑age children has caused worries about school closures, especially in rural areas, and it is widening the education gap between regions, as reported in the article. Schools outside the capital region now have only a handful of students per grade, limiting peer interaction and academic programs, according to The Korea Herald. Official data from the South Korean Ministry of Education show that the total number of shuttered elementary, middle and high schools rose to 4,037 in 2026, up from 4,008 the year before.

Fewer students mean many schools will close, and children in small towns will have fewer classmates and fewer learning options. These changes may push more families to move to the capital, further reducing school numbers in other regions.