Iceland vs Republic of Korea: Share of the population with tertiary education

Iceland
51.4%
in 2020
Republic of Korea
58.3%
in 2020
Iceland rank
5th
Republic of Korea rank
3rd

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Iceland
  • Republic of Korea
0204060187019452020

How they compare

Republic of Korea currently reports 58.3% against 51.4% in Iceland, a difference of 6.9%.

That makes Republic of Korea's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Republic of Korea ahead.

Iceland ranks 5th and Republic of Korea ranks 3rd of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 7 and Republic of Korea in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland Republic of Korea Difference Ahead
1870s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1880s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1890s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1900s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% Iceland
1910s 0.3% 0.1% 0.2% Iceland
1920s 0.7% 0.3% 0.3% Iceland
1930s 1.2% 0.6% 0.6% Iceland
1940s 2.0% 0.9% 1.2% Iceland
1950s 3.1% 1.5% 1.7% Iceland
1960s 4.6% 3.4% 1.2% Iceland
1970s 6.2% 6.8% 0.6% Republic of Korea
1980s 10.3% 11.1% 0.8% Republic of Korea
1990s 15.2% 20.2% 5.0% Republic of Korea
2000s 22.4% 33.0% 10.6% Republic of Korea
2010s 37.1% 49.0% 11.9% Republic of Korea
2020s 51.4% 58.3% 6.9% Republic of Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Iceland or Republic of Korea?
Republic of Korea, at 58.3% against 51.4% in Iceland as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Iceland and Republic of Korea?
6.9%, with Republic of Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Republic of Korea?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Iceland and Republic of Korea rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Iceland ranks 5th and Republic of Korea ranks 3rd 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 tertiary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iceland vs Republic of Korea: Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/iceland/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with tertiary education
Unit
%
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.