South Korea vs United States: Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent
South Korea
39.5%
in 2024
United States
41.7%
in 2024
South Korea rank
11th
United States rank
8th
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 41.7% against 39.5% in South Korea, a difference of 2.2%.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
Across all 13 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 11th and United States ranks 8th of 89 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 33.3% | 35.5% | 2.2% | United States |
| 2020s | 37.9% | 40.6% | 2.7% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent, South Korea or United States?
- United States, at 41.7% against 39.5% in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent between South Korea and United States?
- 2.2%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- South Korea ranks 11th and United States ranks 8th of 89 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release