South Korea vs United States: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
South Korea
54.7%
in 2024
United States
47.6%
in 2024
South Korea rank
4th
United States rank
6th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 54.7% against 47.6% in United States, a difference of 7.1%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1970 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 4th and United States ranks 6th of 129 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.7% | 27.5% | 16.7% | United States |
| 1980s | 14.2% | 36.2% | 22.0% | United States |
| 2000s | 37.2% | 37.2% | 0.0% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 48.1% | 41.5% | 6.6% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 53.3% | 46.5% | 6.7% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, South Korea or United States?
- South Korea, at 54.7% against 47.6% in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between South Korea and United States?
- 7.1%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Korea ranks 4th and United States ranks 6th of 129 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release