Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 81.5% 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
Republic of Korea recorded 81.5% for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Republic of Korea peaked at 81.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 1970.
Republic of Korea ranks 32nd of 142 countries on this measure, 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 | 15.7% | — |
| 1980 | 27.6% | +76.4% |
| 1985 | 57.0% | +106.3% |
| 1990 | 48.4% | -15.0% |
| 1995 | 56.5% | +16.7% |
| 2000 | 63.7% | +12.8% |
| 2001 | 64.7% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 65.6% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 67.0% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 68.0% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 69.3% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 70.1% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 71.2% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 71.8% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 66.0% | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 72.7% | +10.1% |
| 2011 | 73.4% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 74.1% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 74.8% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 75.9% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 76.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 77.3% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 77.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 77.9% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 78.5% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 78.8% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 79.3% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 79.8% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 80.9% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 81.5% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.7% | 15.7% | 15.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 42.3% | 27.6% | 57.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 52.4% | 48.4% | 56.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 67.7% | 63.7% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.9% | 72.7% | 78.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.1% | 78.8% | 81.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 29 Norway 81.9% compare
- 30 Germany 81.9% compare
- 31 Puerto Rico 81.8% compare
- 33 Croatia 81.4% compare
- 34 Tajikistan 80.7% compare
- 35 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 80.5% compare
More education data for Republic of Korea
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 173,133 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 10.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 100.87 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 100.9% (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 81.5% 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 81.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 1970.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Republic of Korea ranks 32nd out of 142 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 7.3%. 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+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.