Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 13.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea stood at 13.2%. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea peaked at 18.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 13.2%, in 2024.
Republic of Korea ranks 118th of 122 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 18.3% | — |
| 1999 | 17.7% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 18.0% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 16.8% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 15.1% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 16.6% | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 17.1% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 16.6% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 15.8% | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 14.9% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 14.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 14.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 13.7% | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.0% | 17.7% | 18.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 14.9% | 18.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 16.4% | 14.9% | 17.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 14.0% | 13.2% | 14.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 115 Kazakhstan 14.8% compare
- 116 Puerto Rico 14.1% compare
- 117 Kyrgyzstan 13.5% compare
- 119 Cuba 9.4% compare
- 120 Burkina Faso 8.7% compare
- 121 Trinidad and Tobago 7.3% compare
More education data for Republic of Korea
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea was 13.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.2% in 2024.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Republic of Korea ranks 118th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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