Percentage of graduates from tertiary education … Services adjusted in South Korea
South Korea: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education … Services adjusted was 1.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea is 1.0%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Korea peaked at 1.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2009.
That places South Korea 28th out of 111 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 … Services adjusted in South Korea, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.2% | — |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | +11.8% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -9.9% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | +24.2% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -19.1% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -11.8% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +15.1% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -2.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7%, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 25 Philippines 1.0% compare
- 26 Belarus 1.0% compare
- 27 Belize 1.0% compare
- 29 Dominican Republic 0.9% compare
- 30 Burkina Faso 0.9% compare
- 31 Serbia 0.9% compare
More education data for South Korea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
- 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)
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 1.0% 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 1.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2009.
- How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Korea ranks 28th out of 111 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 8.2%. 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 Services programmes, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release