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 99.4% 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
In 2024, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in Republic of Korea stood at 99.4%. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in Republic of Korea peaked at 99.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 76.4%, in 1970.
Republic of Korea ranks 47th of 133 countries on this measure, 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 | 76.4% | — |
| 1975 | 83.7% | +9.4% |
| 1980 | 88.0% | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 94.6% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 95.5% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 96.7% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 97.8% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 97.3% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 98.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 98.4% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 97.8% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 98.1% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 98.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 98.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.1% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.1% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 99.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 99.4% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 80.1% | 76.4% | 83.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 88.0% | 88.0% | 88.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 95.0% | 94.6% | 95.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 97.8% | 96.7% | 98.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 98.8% | 98.1% | 99.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.2% | 99.1% | 99.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 44 Georgia 99.5% compare
- 45 Kiribati 99.5% compare
- 46 Bosnia and Herzegovina 99.4% compare
- 48 Kazakhstan 99.3% compare
- 49 Montenegro 99.3% compare
- 50 Qatar 99.2% compare
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 99.4% 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 99.4% 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 76.4% in 1970.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- Republic of Korea ranks 47th out of 133 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 0.5%. 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, male (%). 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