Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 33.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 33.2% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 48.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 33.2%, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 9th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | 48.6% | — |
| 1999 | 48.3% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 45.6% | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 45.2% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 42.9% | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 44.3% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 42.5% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 42.4% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 40.1% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 38.0% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 36.4% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 38.1% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 35.6% | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 35.8% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 33.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 34.1% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 33.9% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 33.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 34.1% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 33.2% | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.4% | 48.3% | 48.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 42.0% | 36.4% | 45.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 35.2% | 33.3% | 38.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 33.8% | 33.2% | 34.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -4.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0236 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.29 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -4.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0248 units per person (2024)
- 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)
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 33.2% 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 48.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.2% in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 9th out of 123 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 6.8%. 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 Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, male (%). 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