3rd in Academics, 34th in Mental Health... Korean Children Excel Only in Grades

Comparison of UNICEF Report Cards 16, 19, and 20

Physical Health Ranks 30th, Mental Health 34th—Among the Lowest

UNICEF Korea Committee: "A Comprehensive Guarantee of Children's Quality of Life Is Needed"

While the academic abilities of Korean children rank among the highest in developed countries, their mental and physical health are placed near the bottom.

Photo to help understand the article, showing a student studying. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency on September 10, UNICEF Korea Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center and released the analysis results from UNICEF Innocenti’s ‘Report Card’. The Report Card is a series of publications analyzing the lives of children in developed countries—such as OECD and EU member nations—by topic. UNICEF Korea compared key indicators from the Report Card 16 issued in 2020, the 19th issue released in May last year, and the 20th issue published this past May.

The Report Card evaluates the well-being of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19, categorizing it into three areas: physical health, mental health, and capabilities. Physical health is measured by the mortality rate for ages 5 to 14 and the overweight rate for ages 5 to 19. Mental health indicators include life satisfaction among 15-year-olds as well as suicide rates among those aged 15 to 19. Capabilities are assessed through reading and math proficiency and social skills for 15-year-olds, with the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results used as an indicator for this group.

Academic Performance Climbs 8 Places as Physical Health Drops 17 Places

The analysis showed that Korean children's ranking in academic capabilities steadily increased from 11th to 4th and then to 3rd place. In contrast, physical health rankings dropped from 13th to 28th, and then to 30th, while mental health stayed at 34th place. As academic performance rose by 8 places, physical health fell by 17 places. Overall, the well-being ranking of Korean children slid from 21st to 27th, placing it among the lowest of 37 countries in the 20th edition.

The life satisfaction rate among Korean children stood at 65%, which is the seventh lowest among 36 countries. The suicide rate among adolescents was 10.33 per 100,000 people, the fifth highest among 42 countries. In South Korea, suicide has been the leading cause of death among children and adolescents for 14 consecutive years.

Physical activity among Korean adolescents is also insufficient when compared internationally. According to a 2016 WHO comparison of adolescents in 146 countries, the rate of insufficient physical activity among Korean adolescents was 94.2%—the highest among surveyed countries. This is 13.2 percentage points higher than the global average of 81.0%. In 2023, the proportion of Korean high school students who engaged in sufficient physical activity (at least 60 minutes per day, five or more days a week, enough to make them short of breath) was 13.4%, which is 32.9 percentage points lower than their American peers (46.3%).

The Netherlands Excels in All Categories… Japan Ranks Third in Physical Health

Children's image to aid article understanding. Pixabay

Meanwhile, the Netherlands ranked first overall in the 20th edition. The Netherlands was first in mental health, fifth in physical health, and eleventh in capabilities, placing it within the top third in all three categories. Denmark and France followed. The Netherlands also had the highest percentage (87%) of 15-year-old children reporting high life satisfaction.

Korea was not the only country where there was a sharp disparity between academic capabilities and mental health. Slovenia ranked second in capabilities but 29th in mental health. Japan placed 12th in capabilities and 32nd in mental health. However, Japan stood out in physical health, ranking 3rd compared to Korea's 30th place. Japan's overweight rate among 5 to 19-year-olds was 16%, the lowest among surveyed countries, and it was the only nation where the proportion of children reporting high life satisfaction did not decline between 2018 and 2022.

UNICEF Korea Committee proposed establishing a legal and institutional foundation for child-friendly environments at a national level as a policy task. The committee also called for a multi-layered mental health support system that progresses from prevention to detection, intervention, and recovery, as well as guarantees for sufficient physical activity, play, and rest rights. On the same day, Heo Geumjoo, Secretary-General of UNICEF Korea, emphasized that “policy should shift from merely academic achievement to a more balanced guarantee of overall quality of life for children.”

On September 17, UNICEF Korea Committee plans to hold a policy debate at the National Assembly to commemorate the 30th anniversary of UNICEF Child-Friendly Cities and to further discuss these issues.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.