South Korea vs Singapore: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
South Korea
49.6%
in 2024
Singapore
53.2%
in 2024
South Korea rank
7th
Singapore rank
4th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- South Korea
- Singapore
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 53.2% against 49.6% in South Korea, a difference of 3.6%.
That makes Singapore's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 7th and Singapore ranks 4th of 129 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and Singapore in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Singapore | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.1% | 10.9% | 6.2% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 31.9% | 31.5% | 0.3% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 41.8% | 42.5% | 0.7% | Singapore |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 52.1% | 4.2% | Singapore |
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 Singapore?
- Singapore, at 53.2% against 49.6% in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between South Korea and Singapore?
- 3.6%, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Singapore?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Singapore rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Korea ranks 7th and Singapore ranks 4th 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, 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