Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology … Science female in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology … Science female was 16.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
16.6%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
33rd
of 122 countries
All-time high
28.2%
in 1998
All-time low
14.4%
in 2017
Years of data
21
1998–2024
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 16.6%.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea peaked at 28.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 2017.
South Korea ranks 33rd of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology … Science female in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 28.2% | — |
| 1999 | 27.5% | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 26.5% | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 27.2% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 27.5% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 25.8% | -6.2% |
| 2004 | 22.9% | -11.2% |
| 2006 | 20.1% | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 18.5% | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | -14.3% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 14.4% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 15.7% | +5.1% |
| 2022 | 16.1% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 16.5% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 16.6% | +0.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 16.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.0%, 1.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 16.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.4%, 1.2× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.8% | 27.5% | 28.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.6% | 17.1% | 27.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 15.4% | 14.4% | 17.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 14.9% | 16.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 30 Benin 16.7% compare
- 31 El Salvador 16.7% compare
- 32 Belarus 16.7% compare
- 34 Sri Lanka 16.6% compare
- 35 Azerbaijan 16.6% compare
- 36 Madagascar 16.6% compare
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 16.6% 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 28.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 2017.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
- South Korea ranks 33rd 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 10.6%. 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, female (%). 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