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 9.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
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 9.0% for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Korea peaked at 13.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.0%, in 2024.
Korea ranks 106th of 110 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 | 13.0% | — |
| 2001 | 12.5% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 12.1% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 12.0% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 11.4% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 11.7% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 12.0% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 12.3% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 12.3% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 10.1% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 10.0% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 9.0% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 9.0% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 9.0% | -0.4% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 9.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.3%, 49% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Korea's 9.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.3%, 79% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.1% | 11.4% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.3% | 10.0% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 9.0% | 9.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
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 9.0% 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 13.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.0% in 2024.
- How does Korea rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Korea ranks 106th out of 110 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 26.4%. 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, 15-64 years old, female (%). 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