Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 9.6% 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 9.6%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 13.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 91st of 124 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 tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11.7% | — |
| 1999 | 10.1% | -13.7% |
| 2000 | 11.2% | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 11.6% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 9.9% | -14.8% |
| 2006 | 12.3% | +24.2% |
| 2007 | 13.1% | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 13.2% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 12.4% | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 11.8% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 10.9% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 11.3% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 10.9% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 10.4% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 9.9% | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 9.6% | -3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.9% | 10.1% | 11.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.7% | 9.9% | 13.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 10.8% | 11.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 10.3% | 9.6% | 10.9% | 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 9.6% 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 13.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 91st out of 124 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 12.2%. 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, 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