Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea
Korea: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 2.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.2%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
63rd
of 104 countries
All-time high
3.0%
in 2008
All-time low
2.2%
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Korea recorded 2.2% for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea peaked at 3.0% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2023.
Korea ranks 63rd of 104 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.8% | — |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -8.4% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 3.0% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -11.3% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -14.8% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 2.2% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | +1.7% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 2.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.6%, 26% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Korea's 2.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%, 3.1× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 60 El Salvador 2.4% compare
- 61 Zambia 2.3% compare
- 62 Côte d'Ivoire 2.3% compare
- 64 Bangladesh 2.1% compare
- 65 Georgia 2.1% compare
- 66 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2.1% compare
More education data for 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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea was 2.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 2008.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2023.
- How does Korea rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Korea ranks 63rd out of 104 countries with data for 2024.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 25-54 years old, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release