1 of 2 | The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family government complex in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today
May 21 (Asia Today) — The number of multicultural students in South Korea topped 200,000 for the first time last year, even as the country’s overall youth population continued to decline, government data showed Wednesday.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family released its 2026 youth statistics, covering 36 indicators in eight areas, to mark Youth Month in May.
The data showed the number of multicultural students reached 202,208 last year, up 4.3% from a year earlier. They accounted for 4% of all students.
Elementary school students made up 57.7% of multicultural students, followed by middle school students at 25.3% and high school students at 16.6%.
South Korea’s youth population, defined as people ages 9 to 24, stood at 7.409 million this year, accounting for 14.4% of the total population. That was down from 7.626 million, or 14.8%, last year.
Education indicators showed mixed trends. Seven in 10 students said they enjoyed going to school, up 1 percentage point from the previous year. The share was highest among elementary school students at 79.2%, followed by middle school students at 71.9% and high school students at 69.2%.
The private education participation rate among elementary, middle and high school students fell to 75.7%, down 4.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Average weekly time spent in private education also declined by 30 minutes to 7.1 hours.
The school dropout rate edged up to 1.1%, while the share of high school graduates advancing to higher education in South Korea or abroad rose to 74.4%.
Labor data showed the employment rate for people ages 15 to 29 was 45.0% in 2025, down 1.1 percentage points from the previous year. The unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.1%.
Among middle and high school students, 5.1% said they had worked part-time during the past year.
Income was the top factor young people considered when choosing a job. Teenagers and young adults ages 13 to 24 ranked income first, followed by aptitude and interest, then job stability.
Large companies were the most preferred workplaces, followed by government agencies and public corporations.
The share of young people prioritizing income has steadily increased since 2013, when it stood at 27.0%. The trend was stronger among male youths at 42.8% than female youths at 35.9%. Women were more likely than men to cite aptitude and interest as a key factor.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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