Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea

Korea: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 81.5% in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
81.5%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
32nd
of 142 countries
All-time high
81.5%
in 2024
All-time low
15.7%
in 1970
Years of data
30
1970–2024

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

204060801970199720241970: 15.7 %1980: 27.6 %1985: 57 %1990: 48.4 %1995: 56.5 %2000: 63.7 %2001: 64.7 %2002: 65.6 %2003: 67 %2004: 68 %2005: 69.3 %2006: 70.1 %2007: 71.2 %2008: 71.8 %2009: 66 %2010: 72.7 %2011: 73.4 %2012: 74.1 %2013: 74.8 %2014: 75.9 %2015: 76.4 %2016: 77.3 %2017: 77.6 %2018: 77.9 %2019: 78.5 %2020: 78.8 %2021: 79.3 %2022: 79.8 %2023: 80.9 %2024: 81.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea is 81.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Korea peaked at 81.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 1970.

Korea ranks 32nd of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 15.7% 15.7% 15.7% 1
1980s 42.3% 27.6% 57.0% 2
1990s 52.4% 48.4% 56.5% 2
2000s 67.7% 63.7% 71.8% 10
2010s 75.9% 72.7% 78.5% 10
2020s 80.1% 78.8% 81.5% 5

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 29 Norway 81.9% compare
  2. 30 Germany 81.9% compare
  3. 31 Puerto Rico 81.8% compare
  4. 33 Croatia 81.4% compare
  5. 34 Tajikistan, Republic of 80.7% compare
  6. 35 United Kingdom 80.5% compare

See the full ranking of 142 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 81.5% 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 81.5% in 2024.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 1970.
How does Korea rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
Korea ranks 32nd out of 142 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 7.3%. 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, both sexes (%). 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 19 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
142 places, 2,313 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release