Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes in South Korea
South Korea: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes was 431,394 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea stood at 431,394. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 43.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 1.32 million in 2002 and was at its lowest, 431,394, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 15th of 149 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.06 million | — |
| 1999 | 1.14 million | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 1.22 million | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 1.28 million | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 1.32 million | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 1.29 million | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.26 million | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 1.22 million | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 1.18 million | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.14 million | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 772,027 | -32.2% |
| 2009 | 761,102 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 767,255 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 812,413 | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 807,345 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 785,400 | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 767,297 | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 745,836 | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 721,088 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 700,679 | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 677,032 | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 659,991 | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 617,467 | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 559,206 | -9.4% |
| 2022 | 485,937 | -13.1% |
| 2023 | 451,853 | -7.0% |
| 2024 | 431,394 | -4.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 431,394 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10,736, 40.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 431,394 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 69,266, 6.2× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -32.2% | 1.14 million | 772,027 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.10 million | 1.06 million | 1.14 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.15 million | 761,102 | 1.32 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 744,434 | 659,991 | 812,413 | 10 |
| 2020s | 509,171 | 431,394 | 617,467 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0484 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea was 431,394 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.32 million in 2002.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 431,394 in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 149 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release