Republic of Korea vs United States of America: Average years of schooling
Republic of Korea
13.68 years
in 2020
United States of America
13.32 years
in 2020
Republic of Korea rank
2nd
United States of America rank
4th
Average years of schooling over time
- Republic of Korea
- United States of America
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 13.68 years against 13.32 years in United States of America, a difference of 0.36 years.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was United States of America ahead.
Republic of Korea ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 4th of 111 countries.
Across the 16 decades both report, Republic of Korea averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 15.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Republic of Korea | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.01 years | 4.42 years | 4.41 years | United States of America |
| 1880s | 0.01 years | 5.03 years | 5.02 years | United States of America |
| 1890s | 0.01 years | 5.74 years | 5.73 years | United States of America |
| 1900s | 0.45 years | 6.55 years | 6.1 years | United States of America |
| 1910s | 1.14 years | 6.87 years | 5.73 years | United States of America |
| 1920s | 2.17 years | 7.38 years | 5.21 years | United States of America |
| 1930s | 3.02 years | 8.12 years | 5.1 years | United States of America |
| 1940s | 3.79 years | 8.8 years | 5.01 years | United States of America |
| 1950s | 4.93 years | 8.94 years | 4.01 years | United States of America |
| 1960s | 5.07 years | 10.03 years | 4.96 years | United States of America |
| 1970s | 7.06 years | 11.41 years | 4.35 years | United States of America |
| 1980s | 9.06 years | 12.31 years | 3.25 years | United States of America |
| 1990s | 10.82 years | 12.69 years | 1.88 years | United States of America |
| 2000s | 12.04 years | 13.05 years | 1.02 years | United States of America |
| 2010s | 13.14 years | 13.27 years | 0.12 years | United States of America |
| 2020s | 13.68 years | 13.32 years | 0.36 years | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average years of schooling, Republic of Korea or United States of America?
- Republic of Korea, at 13.68 years against 13.32 years in United States of America as of 2020.
- What is the difference in average years of schooling between Republic of Korea and United States of America?
- 0.36 years, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Republic of Korea and United States of America?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
- How do Republic of Korea and United States of America rank globally for average years of schooling?
- Republic of Korea ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 4th of 111 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.