Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea
South Korea: Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary was 49.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea stood at 49.6%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea peaked at 49.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 29.5%, in 2003.
South Korea ranks 17th of 110 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 29.5% | — |
| 2004 | 30.5% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 33.2% | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 34.7% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 36.1% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 39.3% | +8.9% |
| 2012 | 40.3% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 41.3% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 42.3% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 43.7% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 44.4% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 45.3% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 46.0% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 46.9% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 47.5% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 48.7% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 49.6% | +1.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 49.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.4%, 1.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 49.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 1.9× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.8% | 29.5% | 36.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 39.3% | 46.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 46.5% | 49.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 14 Latvia 50.7% compare
- 15 South Africa 50.7% compare
- 16 United States 49.8% compare
- 18 Estonia 49.5% compare
- 19 Israel 49.5% compare
- 20 Luxembourg 48.5% 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 49.6% 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 49.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.5% in 2003.
- How does South Korea rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- South Korea ranks 17th out of 110 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 17.1%. 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release