Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea
Korea: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 20.4% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
20.4%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
149th
of 155 countries
All-time high
20.4%
in 2024
All-time low
19.2%
in 2001
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Korea recorded 20.4% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea peaked at 20.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 2001.
That places Korea 149th out of 155 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20.1% | — |
| 1999 | 19.7% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 19.4% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 19.4% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 19.5% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 19.9% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 19.9% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 19.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 19.8% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 19.6% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 19.3% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 19.3% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 19.2% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 19.3% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 19.5% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 19.7% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 19.7% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 19.6% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 19.6% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 20.4% | +0.8% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 20.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 25% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Korea's 20.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 27% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.9% | 19.7% | 20.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 19.2% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 19.2% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 19.6% | 20.4% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea was 20.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 2001.
- How does Korea rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Korea ranks 149th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release