Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea
Korea: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 60.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea stood at 60.6%. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea peaked at 64.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 60.6%, in 2024.
That places Korea 15th out of 149 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 64.1% | — |
| 2014 | 63.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 63.5% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 63.0% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 62.5% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 62.0% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 61.7% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 61.4% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 61.2% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 61.0% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 60.8% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 60.6% | -0.3% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 60.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 43.0%, 1.4× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Korea's 60.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43.2%, 1.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 62.9% | 61.7% | 64.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 61.0% | 60.6% | 61.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 12 Angola 63.4% compare
- 13 Mauritania 62.4% compare
- 14 Malawi 61.8%
- 16 Djibouti 60.1%
- 17 Japan 60.0% compare
- 18 Burkina Faso 59.8% 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Korea was 60.6% 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 64.1% in 2013.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.6% in 2024.
- How does Korea rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Korea ranks 15th out of 149 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 down 5.1%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release