In South Korea, waiting for a place in childcare reaches 8.5 months — Korea Herald

In South Korea, parents of toddlers wait an average of 8.5 months for their child to be admitted to a daycare facility. This was reported by Korea Herald, citing data from the Ministry of Education. The data were obtained by lawmaker Seo Beom-su of the ruling People Power Party.

Queues for public facilities are longer

For 18-month-old children, the waiting period increased from 5.8 months in 2022. At public daycare facilities, parents of 18-month-old children waited an average of 10.6 months, compared with 7.9 months in 2022.

For six-month-old children, the average waiting time was 6.2 months, while for 30-month-old children it was eight months, compared with 5.8 months in 2022. Across all age groups, the average waiting period was 7.5 months, whereas in 2022 it was 5.3 months. It was calculated from the submission of an application to confirmation of admission.

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The number of facilities is declining

From 2022 through the first half of 2026, 11,093 childcare facilities closed in the country. The largest number of closures was recorded in Gyeonggi Province, with 3,234, and in Seoul, with 1,502.

According to the Korean Statistical Information Service, the number of such facilities has been declining for 12 consecutive years: from a peak of 43,770 in 2013 to 26,064 in 2025. Among facilities that closed since 2022, 43.9% cited a declining number of children as the reason, while 31.3% cited financial difficulties. Home-based and private facilities accounted for 92.2% of all closures.