More than 4,000 schools across South Korea have closed as shrinking student populations force a dramatic contraction of the country’s education system, leaving hundreds of former campuses abandoned.

According to data from the Ministry of Education obtained by lawmaker Jin Sun-mee, a total of 4,008 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide have shut down so far due to falling enrollment, Korea Herald reported.

Elementary schools account for the vast majority of closures, at 3,674, followed by 264 middle schools and 70 high schools. Over the past five years alone, 158 schools were closed, and another 107 are expected to shut down within the next five years as student numbers continue to decline, Korea Times reported.

Closures have been most pronounced outside major cities. North Jeolla Province is projected to record the highest number of future shutdowns, with 16 schools, followed by South Jeolla Province with 15, Gyeonggi Province with 12 and South Chungcheong Province with 11. The figures highlight the sharper population drop in rural and nonmetropolitan areas.

South Korea's birth rate is among the lowest in the world. According to Statistics Korea (KOSTAT), the country’s official statistical agency, South Korea's total fertility rate (TFR) for 2024 is 0.748, well below the 2.1 needed for population replacement.

Many former school sites have yet to find a new purpose. Of the 4,008 closed schools, 376 remain unused. Among them, 266 have been left idle for more than a decade, while 82 have sat abandoned for over 30 years.

More schools are expected to shut down due to declining student numbers, Jin said, calling for a long-term plan to repurpose the unused facilities as assets for local communities.

The impact of falling enrollment is also being felt inside active schools. The ministry announced in February that teaching positions for the 2025 academic year would be cut by 2,232 nationwide. Elementary school posts will be reduced by 1,289, while middle school teaching positions will fall by 1,700.

In response, provincial and metropolitan education offices have introduced temporary measures, including reducing class sizes at some schools to about 10 to 15 students and increasing the number of classes to absorb excess capacity. (VN Express)