Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population was 96.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in Republic of Korea, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 96.4% for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in Republic of Korea peaked at 96.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 55.7%, in 1970.
That places Republic of Korea 68th out of 135 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 55.7% | — |
| 1975 | 66.5% | +19.3% |
| 1980 | 73.0% | +9.8% |
| 1990 | 83.7% | +14.6% |
| 1995 | 85.4% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 88.6% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 90.1% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 90.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 91.2% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 91.7% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 92.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 90.0% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 92.6% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 92.9% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 93.4% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 93.8% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 94.2% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 94.2% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 94.6% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 94.7% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 94.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 95.2% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 95.5% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 95.8% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 96.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 96.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 61.1% | 55.7% | 66.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 73.0% | 73.0% | 73.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 84.5% | 83.7% | 85.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 90.6% | 88.6% | 92.0% | 7 |
| 2010s | 94.0% | 92.6% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 95.2% | 96.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More education data for Republic of Korea
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0484 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in Republic of Korea?
- Educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in Republic of Korea was 96.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 96.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.7% in 1970.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- Republic of Korea ranks 68th out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population 25+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release