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We will work on finding the top 3 countries for Korean language learning.
There is little consolidated information on the number of Korean language learners worldwide, or the amount spent on Korean language courses. However, one way of measuring the most popular and most lucrative markets is to look at the data on the Test of Proficiency in Korean, which reveals that the largest number of Korean learners, by a significant margin, come from China. Japan (where Korean is the second most common language) has the second highest number of test-takers, with the United States and Vietnam coming a distant third and fourth.
Methodology
In order to find information on how many students were learning Korean, and how many were enrolled in courses through official learning institutions and online, I searched for information on which languages were the most commonly studied worldwide, with the hopes that I could use that data to drill down to information on the number of learners per country and the total market per country. Unfortunately, that information is not available outside of paid reports, so I had to look at other measures to establish the most popular markets.
To that end, I found data on the Test of Proficiency in Korean, which is a standard for establishing skill in the language. This was the only measuring stick that I found that had hard data associated with it, and the only measure that offered any insight by country. While it does not represent the total number of learners worldwide, it does give a portrait of where learners are most serious about acquiring Korean language skills. And while they do not provide data on the costs of learning Korean, I was able to find information on the average cost of a complete Korean course which is an indicator of how much dedicated learners would be willing to pay in order to claim mastery of the language.
Test of Proficiency in Korean Figures
Business Insider reports that Korean is the second most popular language in only one country: Japan. However, a more robust picture of who is learning Korean emerges if we look at the number of people who take the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).
In 2016, there were 72,295 students who took the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), from 45 different countries. Although the 2016 numbers are not broken down in detail, there is more information available for 2014:
Of a total of 72,079 test-takers (from a pool of 1,259,000 applicants), 45,987 were from outside Korea.
Costs of language programs through Korean educational institutions range from $1,300 to $1,600 per semester, with an average of 4 semesters required for a complete a course, making the total cost between $5,200 and $6,400. There are, of course, many cheaper options, with online learning sites like Duolingo even offering basic courses for free, but, if we were to assume that those who take the TOPIK invest this amount in their studies, the total expenditure could be $115.7 million ($1,600 x 72,295).
Additional Information
As of 2013 (the most recent year for which data was available), there were 12,229 American students learning Korean, a 45% increase from 2009.
In 2017, the Philippines and Turkey added Korean language courses to their primary and high school curricula.
Conclusion
In summary, the three largest markets for Korean language acquisition are China, Japan and the United States. The United States saw a massive surge in Korean students between 2009 and 2013. While there is a huge range of prices for various programs in Korean, the approximate value of the market for those who take the TOPIK qualifying exam, based on the cost of a language course from a Korean institution, would mean a total market value of $115.7M.