School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in South Korea
South Korea: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) was 4.65 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Korea, 1971–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 4.65 years for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in 2018.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 5 years in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.339 years, in 1971.
That places South Korea 6th out of 183 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.339 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.3489 years | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 0.3575 years | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 0.368 years | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 0.3781 years | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 0.4152 years | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 0.428 years | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 0.4604 years | +7.6% |
| 1979 | 0.5176 years | +12.4% |
| 1980 | 0.6218 years | +20.1% |
| 1981 | 0.7433 years | +19.5% |
| 1982 | 0.9535 years | +28.3% |
| 1983 | 1.18 years | +24.2% |
| 1984 | 1.39 years | +17.1% |
| 1985 | 1.55 years | +11.6% |
| 1986 | 1.67 years | +8.0% |
| 1987 | 1.73 years | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 1.76 years | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 1.77 years | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 1.83 years | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 1.88 years | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 1.96 years | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 2.15 years | +9.6% |
| 1994 | 2.23 years | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 2.42 years | +8.5% |
| 1996 | 2.69 years | +11.2% |
| 1997 | 3.46 years | +28.9% |
| 1998 | 3.24 years | -6.5% |
| 1999 | 3.52 years | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 3.83 years | +9.0% |
| 2001 | 3.98 years | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 4.04 years | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 4.13 years | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 4.26 years | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 4.41 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 4.59 years | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 4.77 years | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 4.87 years | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 4.93 years | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 4.98 years | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 4.9 years | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 4.83 years | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 4.77 years | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 4.7 years | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 4.64 years | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 4.61 years | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 4.65 years | +0.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 4.65 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.2 years, 1.5× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 4.65 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.67 years, 2.8× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +28.9% | 2.69 years | 3.46 years |
| 1982 | +28.3% | 0.7433 years | 0.9535 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4014 years | 0.339 years | 0.5176 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.34 years | 0.6218 years | 1.77 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.54 years | 1.83 years | 3.52 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.38 years | 3.83 years | 4.93 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.79 years | 4.61 years | 5 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Korea?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Korea was 4.65 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 2011.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.339 years in 1971.
- How does South Korea rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- South Korea ranks 6th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.