Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 4.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
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 4.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 6.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2002.
South Korea ranks 53rd 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.4% | — |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | +59.6% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | -42.7% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | +23.9% |
| 2004 | 4.3% | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | -8.7% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | +24.5% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | -17.4% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.3% | 4.2% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 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 4.8% 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 6.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2002.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 53rd 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 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics 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