Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male (number) in South Korea
South Korea: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male (number) was 253,660 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Korea stood at 253,660. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is down 7.6% on the previous year and down 45.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Korea peaked at 839,310 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 253,660, in 2024.
That places South Korea 13th out of 146 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 programmes, male (number) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 682,553 | — |
| 1999 | 736,586 | +7.9% |
| 2000 | 786,275 | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 823,257 | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 839,310 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 822,801 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 797,211 | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 766,673 | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 731,150 | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 694,655 | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 466,293 | -32.9% |
| 2009 | 459,672 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 462,377 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 493,872 | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 491,035 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 479,235 | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 468,944 | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 454,925 | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 437,520 | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 424,306 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 409,279 | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 394,368 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 364,358 | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 327,715 | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 300,760 | -8.2% |
| 2023 | 274,469 | -8.7% |
| 2024 | 253,660 | -7.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 253,660 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5,487, 46.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 253,660 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 35,085, 7.2× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male (number) 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 | -32.9% | 694,655 | 466,293 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 709,570 | 682,553 | 736,586 | 2 |
| 2000s | 718,730 | 459,672 | 839,310 | 10 |
| 2010s | 451,586 | 394,368 | 493,872 | 10 |
| 2020s | 304,192 | 253,660 | 364,358 | 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, male in South Korea?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Korea was 253,660 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 839,310 in 2002.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 253,660 in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male?
- South Korea ranks 13th out of 146 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.9%. 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, male (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