Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 6.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea is 6.6%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 8.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 97th of 126 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7.0% | — |
| 1999 | 7.1% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 7.2% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 7.1% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 7.2% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 7.6% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 6.8% | -11.4% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +13.1% |
| 2006 | 7.9% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 8.4% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 7.2% | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 7.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 7.1% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 7.1% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -4.1% |
| 2024 | 6.6% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 6.8% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 7.2% | 7.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 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 (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 6.6% 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 8.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 97th out of 126 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 8.6%. 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 tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release