Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea
Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 16.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea stood at 16.9%. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea peaked at 16.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.1%, in 1998.
Korea ranks 41st of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7.1% | — |
| 1999 | 7.3% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 7.8% | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 8.0% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 8.6% | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 10.4% | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 12.3% | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 14.5% | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 14.0% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 14.5% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 15.5% | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 16.0% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 16.2% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 16.0% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 16.5% | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 16.9% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.2% | 7.1% | 7.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 7.8% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 14.0% | 16.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 16.0% | 16.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 38 Uzbekistan 17.0% compare
- 39 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 16.9% compare
- 40 Portugal 16.9% compare
- 42 North Macedonia 16.2% compare
- 43 Burundi 15.9% compare
- 44 Poland 15.6% compare
More education data for Korea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 233,046 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 76 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 434,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 412,067 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.51 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0484 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Korea was 16.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 16.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.1% in 1998.
- How does Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Korea ranks 41st out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Health and Welfare 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