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 98.5% 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 98.5%. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in Republic of Korea peaked at 98.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 84.5%, in 1970.
That places Republic of Korea 48th out of 100 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 84.5% | — |
| 2000 | 95.4% | +12.8% |
| 2005 | 96.0% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 96.1% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 97.0% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 97.5% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 97.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.4% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 84.5% | 84.5% | 84.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 95.8% | 95.4% | 96.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 97.7% | 97.0% | 98.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 98.2% | 98.0% | 98.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More education data for Republic of Korea
- 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)
- 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)
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 98.5% 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 98.5% 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 84.5% in 1970.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- Republic of Korea ranks 48th out of 100 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 0.9%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release