Completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) (%) in South Korea
South Korea: Completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) (%) was 99.5% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
99.5%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
1st
of 164 countries
All-time high
99.5%
in 2025
All-time low
94.8%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) in South Korea, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) in South Korea stood at 99.5%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) in South Korea peaked at 99.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 94.8%, in 1981.
That places South Korea 1st out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) (%) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 94.8% | — |
| 1982 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 95.2% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 95.4% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 95.6% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 95.7% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 96.1% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 96.3% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 96.4% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 96.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 96.8% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 97.0% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 97.3% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 98.1% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 99.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 99.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.0%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 99.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 51.4%, 1.9× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 95.5% | 94.8% | 96.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 97.1% | 96.3% | 98.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 98.5% | 98.1% | 98.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.0% | 98.8% | 99.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.4% | 99.3% | 99.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 2 Uzbekistan 98.8% compare
- 3 Kazakhstan 98.0% compare
- 4 Croatia 97.9% compare
More education data for South Korea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 233,046 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 76 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 434,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 412,067 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.51 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.15 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) in South Korea?
- Completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) in South Korea was 99.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 94.8% in 1981.
- How does South Korea rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data)?
- South Korea ranks 1st out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, upper secondary education, male (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release