Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 1.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
1.6%
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
40th
of 121 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 1998
All-time low
1.6%
in 1999
Years of data
21
1998–2024
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea stood at 1.6%.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 1.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1999.
South Korea ranks 40th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.7% | — |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -11.4% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 173,133 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea was 1.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1999.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 40th out of 121 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). 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