(South Korea) 22,000 more special needs students as school age pop. shrinks
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South Korea's overall child population has fallen by more than 2.27 million over the past decade, yet the number of children with disabilities has risen by roughly 20,000 over the same period.
Even as the school-age population has shrunk, the number of students with special education needs grew by more than 22,000 over four years, and 27.5 percent of children with disabilities report struggling to adapt to school life, according to a new report.
According to "Children with Disabilities in Statistics," published Wednesday in the Korea Disability Development Institute's KODDI Statistical Newsletter, the total child population fell from about 8.9 million in 2015 to about 6.63 million in 2025 — a decline of roughly 2.27 million.
Over the same period, the number of children with disabilities rose from 72,583 to 92,094, an increase of 19,511. Their share of the total child population climbed 0.57 percentage points, from 0.82 percent to 1.39 percent.
As of 2025, intellectual disabilities accounted for the largest share of disability types among children at 42.6 percent, followed by autism spectrum disorder at 34.0 percent and brain lesion disorders at 9.2 percent. By severity, 87.9 percent of children with disabilities had severe conditions, while 12.1 percent had less severe ones.
Breaking the figures down by age group, children with disabilities under age 6 accounted for 0.45 percent of all infants and toddlers in 2025, up 0.15 percentage points from 0.30 percent in 2015. Among adolescents, the number with disabilities rose from 64,461 to 85,337 — an increase of 20,876 — over the same period, with their share of the total adolescent population climbing 0.62 percentage points to 1.67 percent.
Under the Child Welfare Act, "children" refers to those under 18; under the Act on Welfare Support for Children with Disabilities, "children with disabilities" likewise covers those under 18. "Infants and toddlers" are defined under the Mother and Child Health Act as those under 6 years of age, while "adolescents" refers to those aged 6 and older but under 18 — that is, children under the Child Welfare Act excluding infants and toddlers under the Mother and Child Health Act.
Education data also show a diverging trend between children with disabilities and the broader population.
The overall school-age population fell from about 6.61 million in 2021 to about 5.94 million in 2025, while the number of students with special education needs rose from 98,154 to 120,735 over the same period — an increase of 22,581. In 2025, the most common placement for students with special education needs was special education classes within mainstream schools, at 57.9 percent, followed by special schools at 25.7 percent, general classes within mainstream schools at 16.2 percent, and special education support centers at 0.2 percent.
On school life, 27.5 percent of children with disabilities said they were unable to adapt — or had difficulty adapting — to daycare centers, kindergartens or schools. . . .
Lee Gyeong-hye, president of the Korea Disability Development Institute, said it was crucial to build an environment in which children with disabilities can receive the support they need at the right time as they grow up, given that their numbers are rising even as the overall child population declines. "We will also strengthen the role of regional support centers for children with disabilities so that we can identify infants and toddlers with developmental delays or at risk of disability at an early stage and provide them with continuous support through connections with various community organizations," she added.
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