South Korea vs United States: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
South Korea
49.6%
in 2024
United States
49.8%
in 2024
South Korea rank
7th
United States rank
6th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 49.8% against 49.6% in South Korea, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 25 shared years of data; in 1970 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 7th and United States ranks 6th of 129 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.3% | 23.8% | 17.5% | United States |
| 1980s | 8.9% | 31.9% | 23.0% | United States |
| 1990s | 13.4% | 45.2% | 31.8% | United States |
| 2000s | 30.3% | 36.9% | 6.6% | United States |
| 2010s | 41.8% | 42.5% | 0.7% | United States |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 48.6% | 0.8% | United States |
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?
- United States, at 49.8% 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 United States?
- 0.2%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 25 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 7th 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, 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