Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 20.8% 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
The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea is 20.8%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea peaked at 36.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2017.
That places Republic of Korea 11th out of 124 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 36.7% | — |
| 1999 | 35.8% | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 32.7% | -8.6% |
| 2001 | 32.4% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 31.0% | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 30.2% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 28.5% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 30.1% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 28.6% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 26.8% | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 23.8% | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 25.0% | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 22.0% | -12.0% |
| 2016 | 22.2% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 20.3% | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 20.5% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 21.0% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 21.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 21.0% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 20.8% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.3% | 35.8% | 36.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 28.9% | 23.8% | 32.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.0% | 20.3% | 25.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 21.0% | 20.8% | 21.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More education data for Republic of Korea
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 173,133 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7853 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.29 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 846,694 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -7.78 % change on previous year (2024)
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 20.8% 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 36.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2017.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Republic of Korea ranks 11th out of 124 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 5.6%. 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 Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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