Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea
South Korea: Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary was 14.28 in 2017. ▼ Falling
Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea, 1971–2017
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea is 14.28, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea peaked at 42.44 in 1986 and was at its lowest, 14.28, in 2017.
South Korea ranks 102nd of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 19.3 | — |
| 1972 | 19.65 | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 19.08 | -2.9% |
| 1974 | 19.75 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 20.79 | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 20.81 | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 24.25 | +16.6% |
| 1978 | 24.97 | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 26.31 | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 28.1 | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 30.58 | +8.8% |
| 1982 | 34.07 | +11.4% |
| 1983 | 37.26 | +9.3% |
| 1984 | 39.92 | +7.1% |
| 1985 | 41.59 | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 42.44 | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 41.88 | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 26.99 | -35.5% |
| 1989 | 26.08 | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 23.5 | -9.9% |
| 1991 | 23.18 | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 22.74 | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 23.07 | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 22.77 | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 22.14 | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 21.46 | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 20.82 | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 20.82 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 20.73 | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 20.83 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 20.75 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 19.62 | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 18.68 | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 18.31 | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 16.85 | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 16.64 | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 15.9 | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 15.39 | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 14.93 | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 14.69 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 14.59 | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 14.6 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 14.66 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 14.78 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 14.52 | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 14.55 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 14.28 | -1.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 14.28 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.94, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 14.28 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.3, 93% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -35.5% | 41.88 | 26.99 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.66 | 19.08 | 26.31 | 9 |
| 1980s | 34.89 | 26.08 | 42.44 | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.12 | 20.73 | 23.5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.79 | 14.93 | 20.83 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.59 | 14.28 | 14.78 | 8 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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 pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea?
- Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in South Korea was 14.28 in 2017, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 42.44 in 1986.
- What is the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.28 in 2017.
- How does South Korea rank for pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary?
- South Korea ranks 102nd out of 175 countries with data for 2017.
- Is pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Tertiary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in tertiary school.