Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 9.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea stood at 9.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 23.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2017.
South Korea ranks 24th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 | 23.2% | — |
| 1999 | 21.3% | -8.5% |
| 2000 | 19.0% | -10.5% |
| 2001 | 18.8% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 19.0% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 15.8% | -16.9% |
| 2004 | 14.1% | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 14.2% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 12.8% | -10.1% |
| 2008 | 11.9% | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | -25.1% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 7.9% | -14.2% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 8.9% | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 9.1% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 9.2% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 9.1% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.2% | 21.3% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.2% | 11.5% | 19.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 7.9% | 11.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 9.0% | 8.5% | 9.2% | 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 9.1% 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 23.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2017.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 24th 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 up 2.3%. 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, 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