Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea
South Korea: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.8% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea, 1820–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea stood at 98.8%.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea peaked at 100.0% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
South Korea ranks 25th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1895 | 0.1% | +133.3% |
| 1900 | 0.1% | +85.7% |
| 1905 | 0.2% | +84.6% |
| 1910 | 0.4% | +83.3% |
| 1915 | 0.8% | +72.7% |
| 1920 | 1.6% | +103.9% |
| 1925 | 6.5% | +316.1% |
| 1930 | 8.1% | +25.9% |
| 1935 | 13.6% | +67.2% |
| 1940 | 30.7% | +125.9% |
| 1945 | 37.0% | +20.8% |
| 1950 | 43.4% | +17.2% |
| 1955 | 77.8% | +79.2% |
| 1960 | 90.3% | +16.1% |
| 1965 | 88.5% | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 94.0% | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +6.4% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 98.1% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 98.1% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 98.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 99.1% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 98.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 99.5% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 99.7% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 99.9% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 98.8% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 98.7% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 97.5% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 96.9% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 99.8% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 99.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 98.1% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 98.5% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 98.4% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 98.8% | +0.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 98.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 98.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | +316.1% | 1.6% | 6.5% |
| 1890 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1895 | +133.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1940 | +125.9% | 13.6% | 30.7% |
| 1920 | +103.9% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| 1900 | +85.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 4.0% | 1.6% | 6.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 10.8% | 8.1% | 13.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 33.9% | 30.7% | 37.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 60.6% | 43.4% | 77.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 89.4% | 88.5% | 90.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 97.0% | 94.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 98.1% | 99.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 98.5% | 96.9% | 99.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 98.6% | 98.4% | 98.8% | 3 |
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Korea was 98.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1975.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does South Korea rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- South Korea ranks 25th out of 190 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.