School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) in South Korea
South Korea: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) was 2.44 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in South Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 2.44 million for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.7% on the previous year and down 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 4.05 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2.44 million, in 2024.
That places South Korea 53rd out of 221 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.02 million | — |
| 2001 | 4.05 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.98 million | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 3.82 million | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 3.59 million | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 3.37 million | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 3.21 million | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 3.12 million | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 3.11 million | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.14 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 3.22 million | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 3.33 million | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 3.42 million | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 3.47 million | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 3.51 million | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.48 million | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 3.42 million | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 3.35 million | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 3.30 million | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 3.23 million | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 3.09 million | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 2.90 million | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 2.75 million | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 2.59 million | -5.8% |
| 2024 | 2.44 million | -5.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2.44 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 247,364, 9.9× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2.44 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 229,800, 10.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.54 million | 3.11 million | 4.05 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.37 million | 3.22 million | 3.51 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.75 million | 2.44 million | 3.09 million | 5 |
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 school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in South Korea?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in South Korea was 2.44 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.05 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.44 million in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- South Korea ranks 53rd out of 221 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.5%. 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 School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release