Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering … male in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering … male was 46.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea stood at 46.4%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea peaked at 55.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 44.6%, in 2015.
That places South Korea 16th out of 122 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering … male in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 54.6% | — |
| 1999 | 54.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 53.5% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 54.8% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 54.5% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 55.5% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 54.0% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 51.1% | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 49.2% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 47.6% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 45.7% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 47.0% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 44.6% | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 45.0% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 45.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 45.4% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 46.0% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 45.9% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 45.9% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 46.4% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 46.4% | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 46.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 1.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 46.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 36.5%, 1.3× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.4% | 54.3% | 54.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 51.8% | 45.7% | 55.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 45.4% | 44.6% | 47.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 46.1% | 45.9% | 46.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea?
- Percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea was 46.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 55.5% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.6% in 2015.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
- South Korea ranks 16th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release