Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 98.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
98.7%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
33rd
of 100 countries
All-time high
98.7%
in 2024
All-time low
90.2%
in 2000
Years of data
16
2000–2024

Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea, 2000–2024

0204060801002000201220242000: 90.2 %2005: 91.9 %2009: 91.3 %2010: 93.9 %2013: 97 %2014: 97.3 %2015: 96 %2016: 97.3 %2017: 97.5 %2018: 97.9 %2019: 98 %2020: 97.8 %2021: 97.6 %2022: 98 %2023: 98.4 %2024: 98.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea is 98.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea peaked at 98.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 90.2%, in 2000.

Republic of Korea ranks 33rd of 100 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, male (%) in Republic of Korea, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 90.2%
2005 91.9% +1.9%
2009 91.3% -0.7%
2010 93.9% +2.9%
2013 97.0% +3.3%
2014 97.3% +0.2%
2015 96.0% -1.3%
2016 97.3% +1.3%
2017 97.5% +0.3%
2018 97.9% +0.3%
2019 98.0% +0.1%
2020 97.8% -0.2%
2021 97.6% -0.2%
2022 98.0% +0.4%
2023 98.4% +0.5%
2024 98.7% +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 91.1% 90.2% 91.9% 3
2010s 96.9% 93.9% 98.0% 8
2020s 98.1% 97.6% 98.7% 5

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 30 Georgia 99.4% compare
  2. 31 Oman 99.3% compare
  3. 32 Lithuania 99.0% compare
  4. 34 Romania 98.6% compare
  5. 35 Bulgaria 98.6% compare
  6. 36 Netherlands 98.6% compare

See the full ranking of 100 places →

More education data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea?
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea was 98.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 90.2% in 2000.
How does Republic of Korea rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
Republic of Korea ranks 33rd out of 100 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. 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 rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-primary-education-or-higher-population-25-years-8/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
100 places, 1,691 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release