Share of the population with completed tertiary education in South Korea
South Korea: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 58.3 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in South Korea, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 58.3 for share of the population with completed tertiary education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in South Korea peaked at 58.3 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
South Korea ranks 3rd of 111 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0.1 | — |
| 1910 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.3 | +200.0% |
| 1925 | 0.4 | +33.3% |
| 1930 | 0.6 | +50.0% |
| 1935 | 0.7 | +16.7% |
| 1940 | 0.8 | +14.3% |
| 1945 | 0.9 | +12.5% |
| 1950 | 1.3 | +44.4% |
| 1955 | 1.6 | +23.1% |
| 1960 | 2.8 | +75.0% |
| 1965 | 4 | +42.9% |
| 1970 | 6.2 | +55.0% |
| 1975 | 7.4 | +19.4% |
| 1980 | 9.6 | +29.7% |
| 1985 | 12.5 | +30.2% |
| 1990 | 17.2 | +37.6% |
| 1995 | 23.2 | +34.9% |
| 2000 | 29.6 | +27.6% |
| 2005 | 36.3 | +22.6% |
| 2010 | 45.5 | +25.3% |
| 2015 | 52.4 | +15.2% |
| 2020 | 58.3 | +11.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 58.3 is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.6, 1.9× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 58.3 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.3, 2.3× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with completed tertiary education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +200.0% | 0.1 | 0.3 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.05 | 0 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.35 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.65 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.85 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.45 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4 | 2 |
| 1970s | 6.8 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.05 | 9.6 | 12.5 | 2 |
| 1990s | 20.2 | 17.2 | 23.2 | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.95 | 29.6 | 36.3 | 2 |
| 2010s | 48.95 | 45.5 | 52.4 | 2 |
| 2020s | 58.3 | 58.3 | 58.3 | 1 |
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 share of the population with completed tertiary education in South Korea?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in South Korea was 58.3 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 58.3 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does South Korea rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- South Korea ranks 3rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).