Share of primary school teachers who are women in South Korea
South Korea: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 76.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
76.7%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
114th
of 212 countries
All-time high
78.7%
in 2012
All-time low
29.1%
in 1971
Years of data
54
1971–2024
Share of primary school teachers who are women in South Korea, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 76.7% for share of primary school teachers who are women in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in South Korea peaked at 78.7% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 29.1%, in 1971.
South Korea ranks 114th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 29.1% | — |
| 1972 | 31.5% | +8.3% |
| 1973 | 32.8% | +4.1% |
| 1974 | 33.4% | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 33.6% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 33.7% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 34.2% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 35.0% | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 35.6% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 36.0% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 36.8% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 38.5% | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 39.9% | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 41.3% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 42.1% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 43.1% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 43.7% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 45.7% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 47.3% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 48.7% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 50.1% | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 51.6% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 52.7% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 54.5% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 55.6% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 57.2% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 62.6% | +9.5% |
| 1998 | 64.3% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 66.8% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 70.3% | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 71.6% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 72.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 73.0% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 74.0% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 75.0% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 75.9% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 76.6% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 77.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 77.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 77.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 78.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 78.7% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 78.6% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 78.6% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.4% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 78.1% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 77.8% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 77.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 77.5% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 77.3% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 77.2% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 77.1% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 76.9% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 76.7% | -0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 76.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 91% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 76.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.2% | 29.1% | 35.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 41.4% | 36.0% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.4% | 48.7% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.3% | 70.3% | 77.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.1% | 77.5% | 78.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.0% | 76.7% | 77.3% | 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 share of primary school teachers who are women in South Korea?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in South Korea was 76.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 78.7% in 2012.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.1% in 1971.
- How does South Korea rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- South Korea ranks 114th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.