Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 87.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea is 87.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea peaked at 87.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.6%, in 1970.
That places Republic of Korea 16th out of 140 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 24.6% | — |
| 1980 | 39.1% | +58.6% |
| 1985 | 68.7% | +75.7% |
| 1990 | 60.1% | -12.4% |
| 1995 | 67.1% | +11.6% |
| 2000 | 72.6% | +8.1% |
| 2001 | 74.6% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 75.3% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 75.9% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 76.7% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 77.2% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 78.4% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 79.2% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 79.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 74.2% | -6.8% |
| 2010 | 79.6% | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 81.0% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 81.7% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 82.2% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 83.1% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 82.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.9% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 84.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 84.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 84.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 85.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 86.5% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 87.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.6% | 24.6% | 24.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 53.9% | 39.1% | 68.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 63.6% | 60.1% | 67.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 76.4% | 72.6% | 79.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.7% | 79.6% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.9% | 84.9% | 87.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More education data for Republic of Korea
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 846,694 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -7.78 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 132,721 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 40,412 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.23 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -0.0122 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea was 87.0% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.6% in 1970.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Republic of Korea ranks 16th out of 140 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, male (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.