Average Education Expenditure per Student 5.89 Million KRW
1st Place Gyeongbuk... Jeonnam 7.83 Million KRW · Seoul 7.29 Million KRW 순
The region that invests the most public education expenses per elementary, middle, and high school student is Gyeongbuk. Gyeongbuk spent 9.49 million won per student, while Sejong, the lowest-ranked region, spent 2.85 million won, showing a gap of more than 6.6 million won compared to Gyeongbuk.
On the 7th, Yonhap News quoted the office of Jin Sun-mi, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, citing an analysis of the National Statistical Portal of Statistics Korea and the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI) school accounts, reporting that the nationwide education expense per student in 2022 was calculated at 5.89 million won.
Education expenses refer to the total amount of money spent by the government on educational activities, based on the expenditure settlement amounts of public and private elementary, middle, high, and special schools. This includes costs invested in classes, student welfare, educational conditions, and facility improvements in all schools within the region.
There was a significant difference in education expenses per student by region. The region with the highest education expense per student was Gyeongbuk, at 9.49 million won. This amount is 3.6 million won more than the average of 5.89 million won.
Following Gyeongbuk, the regions with the highest education expenses per student were Jeonnam (7.83 million won), Seoul (7.29 million won), and Jeonbuk (7.23 million won), respectively. The region with the lowest was Sejong, at 2.85 million won. Compared to Gyeongbuk, the top-ranked region, this is more than 6.6 million won less and over 3 million won less than the average.
The education expenses relative to the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), which indicates regional economic power, averaged 1.3% nationwide, but there were regional differences in this indicator as well. Jeonbuk had the highest at 2.2%, followed by Daegu, Gwangju, and Gyeongbuk (all at 2%). The region with the lowest education expenses relative to GRDP was Ulsan, recording 0.8%.
The differences in education expenses per student and education expenses relative to GRDP by region can be interpreted as disparities in the investment capacity for regional education.
Assembly member Jin Sun-mi pointed out, "Although the central government allocates local education finance grants to education offices considering the number of students, there are disparities in educational conditions between regions," adding, "Each education office also needs to implement customized education policies based on regional conditions."
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