Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers was 94.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea, 2008–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea is 94.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea peaked at 96.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 29.4%, in 2009.
That places Republic of Korea 1st out of 64 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 64.2% | — |
| 2009 | 29.4% | -54.2% |
| 2011 | 71.4% | +142.9% |
| 2012 | 71.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 74.1% | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 77.3% | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 85.2% | +10.2% |
| 2016 | 89.2% | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 91.2% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 89.3% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 91.5% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 92.1% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 96.0% | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 94.6% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.8% | 29.4% | 64.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 82.3% | 71.4% | 91.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 94.4% | 92.1% | 96.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More education data for Republic of 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 proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea?
- Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Republic of Korea was 94.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4% in 2009.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers?
- Republic of Korea ranks 1st out of 64 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers, magazines or electronic books in digital format, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release