Productivity vs. educational attainment in South Korea
South Korea: Productivity vs. educational attainment was 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
25th
of 130 countries
All-time high
54.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2022
All-time low
1.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1953
Years of data
71
1953–2023
Productivity vs. educational attainment in South Korea, 1953–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour for productivity vs. educational attainment in 2023.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 39.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity vs. educational attainment in South Korea peaked at 54.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1953.
South Korea ranks 25th of 130 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Productivity vs. educational attainment in South Korea, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 1.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 1954 | 1.71 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 1.8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.5% |
| 1956 | 1.8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.2% |
| 1957 | 1.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.6% |
| 1958 | 1.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.3% |
| 1959 | 1.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.6% |
| 1960 | 1.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.8% |
| 1961 | 1.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 1.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -4.2% |
| 1963 | 1.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.1% |
| 1964 | 2.08 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +10.6% |
| 1965 | 2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -4.0% |
| 1966 | 2.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.3% |
| 1967 | 2.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 2.34 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.6% |
| 1969 | 2.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.3% |
| 1970 | 2.81 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +10.8% |
| 1971 | 3.18 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +13.1% |
| 1972 | 3.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.6% |
| 1973 | 3.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +16.3% |
| 1974 | 4.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +15.1% |
| 1975 | 5.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +13.4% |
| 1976 | 5.33 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 5.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 5.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.8% |
| 1979 | 6.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 5.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.2% |
| 1981 | 6.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 6.36 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 7.06 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.0% |
| 1984 | 7.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +10.8% |
| 1985 | 8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 9.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +12.7% |
| 1987 | 10.04 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.3% |
| 1988 | 11.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +12.2% |
| 1989 | 12.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +10.7% |
| 1990 | 13.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.7% |
| 1991 | 15.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.2% |
| 1992 | 16.6 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.2% |
| 1993 | 17.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.8% |
| 1994 | 19.65 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.8% |
| 1995 | 21.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 23.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.8% |
| 1997 | 23.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 22.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 24.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 25.21 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 25.65 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 27.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 29.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 30.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 33.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 34.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 36.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 37.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 37.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 39.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 39.71 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 39.59 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 38.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 40.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 41.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 43.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 45.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 47.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 49.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 51.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 53.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 54.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for high income countries, which is 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 2.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.81 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 1.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 1.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 7 |
| 1960s | 2.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 1.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 2.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.63 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 2.81 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 6.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 12.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.86 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 13.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 24.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.72 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 25.21 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 37.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 38.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 49.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.35 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 51.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 54.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 22 Taiwan 60.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 23 Saudi Arabia 59.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 24 Turkey 56.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 26 Bahrain 52.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 27 United Arab Emirates 52.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 28 Hong Kong 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
More education data for South 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 productivity vs. educational attainment in South Korea?
- Productivity vs. educational attainment in South Korea was 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 54.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2022.
- What is the lowest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1953.
- How does South Korea rank for productivity vs. educational attainment?
- South Korea ranks 25th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity vs. educational attainment rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.