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

Republic of Korea
58.3%
in 2020
Taiwan
51.9%
in 2020
Republic of Korea rank
3rd
Taiwan rank
4th

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Republic of Korea
  • Taiwan
0204060187019452020

How they compare

Republic of Korea currently reports 58.3% against 51.9% in Taiwan, a difference of 6.4%.

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

The two have swapped places 5 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Taiwan ahead.

Republic of Korea ranks 3rd and Taiwan ranks 4th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Republic of Korea averaged higher in 8 and Taiwan in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Republic of Korea Taiwan 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% 0.0% 0.1% Republic of Korea
1910s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% Republic of Korea
1920s 0.3% 0.3% 0.0%
1930s 0.6% 1.8% 1.1% Taiwan
1940s 0.9% 3.0% 2.1% Taiwan
1950s 1.5% 4.0% 2.6% Taiwan
1960s 3.4% 4.3% 0.9% Taiwan
1970s 6.8% 5.3% 1.5% Republic of Korea
1980s 11.1% 10.8% 0.2% Republic of Korea
1990s 20.2% 16.5% 3.7% Republic of Korea
2000s 33.0% 28.8% 4.1% Republic of Korea
2010s 49.0% 42.2% 6.7% Republic of Korea
2020s 58.3% 51.9% 6.4% 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, Republic of Korea or Taiwan?
Republic of Korea, at 58.3% against 51.9% in Taiwan as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Republic of Korea and Taiwan?
6.4%, with Republic of Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Republic of Korea and Taiwan?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Republic of Korea and Taiwan rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Republic of Korea ranks 3rd and Taiwan ranks 4th 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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Republic of Korea vs Taiwan: 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/korea-rep/taiwan/

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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.