Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in was 17.5% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
17.5%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
89th
of 158 countries
All-time high
40.8%
in 1997
All-time low
17.5%
in 2017
Years of data
22
1997–2018

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea, 1997–2018

0102030401997200720181997: 40.8 %1998: 40 %1999: 37.9 %2000: 36.1 %2001: 34.1 %2002: 32.1 %2003: 30.7 %2004: 29.5 %2005: 28.5 %2006: 27.7 %2007: 26.8 %2008: 25.5 %2009: 24.4 %2010: 23.7 %2011: 21.3 %2012: 19.4 %2013: 17.7 %2014: 17.8 %2015: 17.8 %2016: 17.5 %2017: 17.5 %2018: 17.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea is 17.5%, measured in 2018.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 31.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea peaked at 40.8% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 17.5%, in 2017.

That places Republic of Korea 89th out of 158 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes (%) in Republic of Korea, 1997 to 2018.
Year % Change
1997 40.8%
1998 40.0% -2.1%
1999 37.9% -5.1%
2000 36.1% -4.8%
2001 34.1% -5.6%
2002 32.1% -6.0%
2003 30.7% -4.3%
2004 29.5% -4.0%
2005 28.5% -3.1%
2006 27.7% -2.8%
2007 26.8% -3.3%
2008 25.5% -5.1%
2009 24.4% -4.3%
2010 23.7% -2.9%
2011 21.3% -9.8%
2012 19.4% -8.9%
2013 17.7% -8.9%
2014 17.8% +0.8%
2015 17.8% -0.2%
2016 17.5% -1.6%
2017 17.5% -0.3%
2018 17.5% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 39.6% 37.9% 40.8% 3
2000s 29.5% 24.4% 36.1% 10
2010s 18.9% 17.5% 23.7% 9

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 86 Belize 18.9% compare
  2. 87 Albania 18.2% compare
  3. 88 Tuvalu 17.6% compare
  4. 90 Aruba 17.4% compare
  5. 91 Botswana 17.0% compare
  6. 92 Cyprus 16.7% compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More education data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea?
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea was 17.5% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 40.8% in 1997.
What is the lowest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 17.5% in 2017.
How does Republic of Korea rank for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in?
Republic of Korea ranks 89th out of 158 countries with data for 2018.
Is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 31.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-upper-secondary-education-enrolled-in-vocational-programmes/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
203 places, 3,533 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in vocational programmes at the upper secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the upper secondary level. Vocational education is designed for learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific to a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades. Vocational education may have work-based components (e.g. apprenticeships). Successful completion of such programmes leads to labour-market relevant vocational qualifications acknowledged as occupationally-oriented by the relevant national authorities and/or the labour market.