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Korean kids top academics, near bottom in physical, mental health: Unicef

Published: 14 May. 2025, 18:13 Updated: 14 May. 2025, 19:59

Children at an elementary school in Daejeon play on the school grounds on Sept. 28, 2021. [NEWS1]

Korean children and adolescents rank highest among advanced nations in basic academic achievement, but fall near the bottom in terms of physical health and mental health, according to a new Unicef report.

The findings were published on Tuesday by Unicef’s Innocenti — Global Office of Research and Foresight in a report titled Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World.

The report evaluates the well-being of children and adolescents across six key indicators within three categories: mental health, physical health and life skills. The study draws on data collected between 2018 and 2022 from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Health Organization and Unicef.

In the overall well-being index, Korea ranked 27th out of 36 countries for which complete data was available.

Korea topped the chart in basic academic achievement, ranking first among 40 countries.

This indicator measured the percentage of 15-year-olds who demonstrated sufficient reading and mathematics skills to function in daily life. Korea led with 79 percent, followed by Ireland at 78 percent, Japan at 76 percent and Estonia at 75 percent. In contrast, the bottom was rounded out by Colombia at 19 percent, Costa Rica at 20 percent, Mexico at 20 percent and Bulgaria at 30 percent.

A student at a private academy in Gangnam District, southern Seoul studies for an exam on April 27. [YONHAP]

The report noted that learning outcomes worldwide declined significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic due to widespread school closures.

However, Korea’s academic success was contrasted sharply by its suicide rate among teens. The country recorded an average suicide rate of 10.3 per 100,000 people aged 15 to 19 between 2020 and 2022 — the fifth-highest among 42 countries surveyed.

In terms of life satisfaction, which, along with the suicide rate comprises the “mental health” category, Korea ranked 30th out of 36 countries. Only 65 percent of 15-year-olds in Korea rated their overall life satisfaction at five or higher on a zero-to-10 scale.

Students at a high school in Jongno District, central Seoul, receive their report cards on Dec. 6, 2024. [NEWS1]

By comparison, the European Union (EU) topped the list, with the Netherlands at 87 percent, Finland at 82 percent and Romania at 81 percent. Some of the lowest were Turkey at 43 percent, Chile at 62 percent and Britain at 62 percent.

Korea also performed poorly in the “physical health” category, which included child mortality between the ages of five and 14 and childhood overweight rates. While Korea’s child mortality rate was relatively low at 0.7 per 1,000, its overweight rate stood at 33.9 percent — seventh-highest among 43 countries.

“Over the past five years, most countries have seen a decline in life satisfaction, reduced academic performance and increased overweight rates,” the Innocenti center warned. “These trends present significant challenges for OECD and EU nations in creating a healthy and promising environment for children’s development.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]