Ireland vs South Korea: Share of the population with at least some formal education
Ireland
99.6%
in 2020
South Korea
99.7%
in 2020
Ireland rank
12th
South Korea rank
9th
Share of the population with at least some formal education over time
- Ireland
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 99.7% against 99.6% in Ireland, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Ireland ahead.
Ireland ranks 12th and South Korea ranks 9th of 111 countries.
Across the 16 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 14 and South Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 19.4% | 0.0% | 19.4% | Ireland |
| 1880s | 24.8% | 0.0% | 24.8% | Ireland |
| 1890s | 32.2% | 0.0% | 32.2% | Ireland |
| 1900s | 40.9% | 8.3% | 32.5% | Ireland |
| 1910s | 50.1% | 20.2% | 29.9% | Ireland |
| 1920s | 60.2% | 36.2% | 24.0% | Ireland |
| 1930s | 71.8% | 50.2% | 21.5% | Ireland |
| 1940s | 87.2% | 62.5% | 24.7% | Ireland |
| 1950s | 95.2% | 76.9% | 18.2% | Ireland |
| 1960s | 96.3% | 66.3% | 30.0% | Ireland |
| 1970s | 96.7% | 82.7% | 14.0% | Ireland |
| 1980s | 98.2% | 91.0% | 7.2% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 97.1% | 96.2% | 0.8% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 97.6% | 98.2% | 0.7% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 99.5% | 99.4% | 0.0% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 99.7% | 0.1% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population with at least some formal education, Ireland or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 99.7% against 99.6% in Ireland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of the population with at least some formal education between Ireland and South Korea?
- 0.1%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and South Korea?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
- How do Ireland and South Korea rank globally for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Ireland ranks 12th and South Korea ranks 9th of 111 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.