Share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 90.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea stood at 90.0%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea peaked at 90.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 27.6%, in 1970.
Republic of Korea ranks 44th of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 27.6% | — |
| 1975 | 35.6% | +29.1% |
| 1980 | 45.8% | +28.7% |
| 1990 | 67.3% | +46.9% |
| 1995 | 71.9% | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 77.0% | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 79.7% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 80.5% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 80.5% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 82.0% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 82.6% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 77.9% | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 82.9% | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 84.2% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 84.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 85.3% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 86.0% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 85.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 87.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 87.6% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 87.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 88.1% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 88.5% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 88.8% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 89.6% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 31.6% | 27.6% | 35.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 45.8% | 45.8% | 45.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 69.6% | 67.3% | 71.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 80.4% | 77.0% | 83.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 85.9% | 82.9% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.0% | 88.1% | 90.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 41 Cook Islands 90.9% compare
- 42 Luxembourg 90.7% compare
- 43 Netherlands 90.3% compare
- 45 Belgium 88.9% compare
- 46 Puerto Rico 88.8% compare
- 47 Brunei Darussalam 88.7% compare
More education data for Republic of Korea
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 173,133 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7853 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.29 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 846,694 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -7.78 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Republic of Korea was 90.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 90.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.6% in 1970.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Republic of Korea ranks 44th out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.