Japan vs South Korea: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions
Japan
20.9%
in 2023
South Korea
20.4%
in 2024
Japan rank
148th
South Korea rank
149th
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 20.9% against 20.4% in South Korea, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 13 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 148th and South Korea ranks 149th of 155 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.3% | 19.9% | 1.4% | Japan |
| 2010s | 21.2% | 19.6% | 1.6% | Japan |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 19.9% | 1.0% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 20.9% against 20.4% in South Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions between Japan and South Korea?
- 0.5%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2023.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Japan ranks 148th and South Korea ranks 149th of 155 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, 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