The number of young South Koreans studying abroad plunged by a third over eight years, official data showed Tuesday, apparently thanks to the nation's improved English education system.

In 2014, 10,907 students from primary and secondary schools left the country to study abroad, down 12 percent from 12,374 the year before, according to the tally released by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Education Development Institute.

It is about one-third the number of students in 2006, which peaked at 29,511.

In 2006, 35.2 students out of 10,000 were studying abroad, but the figure decreased to 16.3 in 2014.

The decline was mostly attributed to better infrastructure for English education in South Korea.

"In the past, many people thought studying abroad at an early age would lead to entering foreign colleges and help with getting jobs, but those advantages have declined," a ministry official said. (Yonhap)