Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea

Korea: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 76.1% in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
76.1%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
45th
of 141 countries
All-time high
76.1%
in 2024
All-time low
7.3%
in 1970
Years of data
30
1970–2024

Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea, 1970–2024

0204060801970199720241970: 7.3 %1980: 16.9 %1985: 46 %1990: 37.2 %1995: 46.4 %2000: 55.3 %2001: 55.2 %2002: 56.4 %2003: 58.5 %2004: 59.6 %2005: 62 %2006: 62.2 %2007: 63.5 %2008: 64.3 %2009: 58.7 %2010: 66.2 %2011: 66.1 %2012: 66.7 %2013: 67.7 %2014: 69 %2015: 70.4 %2016: 71 %2017: 71.3 %2018: 71.7 %2019: 72.4 %2020: 72.9 %2021: 73.5 %2022: 74 %2023: 75.4 %2024: 76.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Korea recorded 76.1% for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea peaked at 76.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 1970.

Korea ranks 45th of 141 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 7.3% 7.3% 7.3% 1
1980s 31.5% 16.9% 46.0% 2
1990s 41.8% 37.2% 46.4% 2
2000s 59.6% 55.2% 64.3% 10
2010s 69.2% 66.1% 72.4% 10
2020s 74.4% 72.9% 76.1% 5

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 42 Singapore 77.0% compare
  2. 43 France 76.7% compare
  3. 44 Tajikistan 76.2% compare
  4. 46 Luxembourg 76.0% compare
  5. 47 New Zealand 74.6% compare
  6. 48 Republic of Moldova 74.0% compare

See the full ranking of 141 places β†’

More education data for Korea

All data for Korea β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea?
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea was 76.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Korea?
The highest recorded value was 76.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 1970.
How does Korea rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
Korea ranks 45th out of 141 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-3/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
141 places, 2,292 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release