Inequality in education in South Korea
South Korea: Inequality in education was 0.0617 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in South Korea, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 0.0617 for inequality in education in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 7.6% on the previous year and down 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in South Korea peaked at 0.1064 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0617, in 2023.
That places South Korea 125th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.1064 | — |
| 2011 | 0.0954 | -10.4% |
| 2012 | 0.0904 | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 0.0873 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 0.0831 | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 0.0883 | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0793 | -10.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0782 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.0756 | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 0.0737 | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0723 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0695 | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 0.0668 | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0617 | -7.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.0617 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0476, 1.3× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.0617 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0988, 62% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0858 | 0.0737 | 0.1064 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0676 | 0.0617 | 0.0723 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 122 North Korea 0.0668 compare
- 123 Seychelles 0.0666 compare
- 124 Oman 0.0651 compare
- 126 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0608 compare
- 127 Tajikistan 0.0604 compare
- 128 Chile 0.0599 compare
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 inequality in education in South Korea?
- Inequality in education in South Korea was 0.0617 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1064 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0617 in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for inequality in education?
- South Korea ranks 125th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.