Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper rural both in South Korea
South Korea: Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper rural both was 68.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Korea is 68.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Korea peaked at 68.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41.2%, in 2000.
That places South Korea 34th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper rural both in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41.2% | — |
| 2001 | 42.7% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 44.2% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 47.0% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 44.4% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 53.3% | +19.9% |
| 2013 | 57.5% | +8.0% |
| 2014 | 59.2% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 60.4% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 61.4% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 61.6% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 62.0% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 63.0% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 63.6% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 64.8% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 65.7% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 67.0% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 68.7% | +2.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 68.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 73.5%, 93% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 68.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 31.3%, 2.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 43.9% | 41.2% | 47.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 59.8% | 53.3% | 63.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 65.9% | 63.6% | 68.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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 upper secondary education or in South Korea?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Korea was 68.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.2% in 2000.
- How does South Korea rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- South Korea ranks 34th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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