What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 14.43 years in 2040.

What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 8.61 years in 1980.

How does South Korea rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?

South Korea ranks 2nd out of 146 countries with data for 2040.

Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this South Korea data come from?

The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea

Name: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea
Creator: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment was 14.43 years in 2040. ▲ Rising

Latest (2040)

14.43 years

World rank

2nd

of 146 countries

All-time high

14.43 years

in 2040

All-time low

8.61 years

in 1980

Years of data

1980–2040

Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea, 1980–2040

Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2040, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea stood at 14.43 years. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea peaked at 14.43 years in 2040 and was at its lowest, 8.61 years, in 1980.

South Korea ranks 2nd of 146 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1980s	9.06 years	8.61 years	9.52 years	2
1990s	10.82 years	10.46 years	11.17 years	2
2000s	12.04 years	11.8 years	12.27 years	2
2010s	13.14 years	12.96 years	13.33 years	2
2020s	13.84 years	13.68 years	14 years	2
2030s	14.28 years	14.21 years	14.35 years	2
2040s	14.43 years	14.43 years	14.43 years	1

Countries ranked near South Korea

1 Iceland 15.48 years compare
3 Germany 14.28 years compare
4 Singapore 14.19 years compare
5 Hong Kong 14.12 years compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More education data for South Korea

Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Population ages 15-64 69.5% (2025)
Population ages 0-14 10.2% (2025)
Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
School enrollment, primary 100.9% (2024)
Primary education, teachers 173,133 (2024)
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 0.734 live births per woman (2024)
School enrollment, primary, female 100.8% (2024)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea?: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in South Korea was 14.43 years in 2040, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 14.43 years in 2040.
What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 8.61 years in 1980.
How does South Korea rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?: South Korea ranks 2nd out of 146 countries with data for 2040.
Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 146 places, 1,653 data points, 1980–2040
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.