Educational attainment rate … urban both post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea
South Korea: Educational attainment rate … urban both post-secondary non-tertiary was 52.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea stood at 52.9%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea peaked at 52.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 44.7%, in 2013.
That places South Korea 11th out of 76 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … urban both post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 44.7% | — |
| 2014 | 45.7% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 47.2% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 48.0% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 48.9% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 49.6% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 50.0% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 50.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 50.9% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 52.0% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 52.9% | +1.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 52.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.2%, 1.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 52.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.6%, 1.6× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 47.4% | 44.7% | 49.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 51.2% | 50.0% | 52.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 8 South Africa 57.5% compare
- 9 Sweden 56.5% compare
- 10 Estonia 54.2% compare
- 12 United States 52.1% compare
- 13 New Zealand 51.8% compare
- 14 Iceland 51.2% compare
More education data for South Korea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea was 52.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 52.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.7% in 2013.
- How does South Korea rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- South Korea ranks 11th out of 76 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release