Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul in South Korea
South Korea: Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul was 49.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul in South Korea, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul in South Korea stood at 49.6%. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul in South Korea peaked at 49.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1970.
South Korea ranks 7th of 129 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.3% | 5.7% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.3% | 8.9% | 11.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 17.1% | 13.4% | 20.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 30.3% | 24.1% | 34.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 41.8% | 35.3% | 46.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 46.5% | 49.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 10.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.9% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 173,133 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.8% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 101.0% (2024)
- Labor force, total 29.87 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 44.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul in South Korea?
- Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul in South Korea was 49.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 49.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1970.
- How does South Korea rank for educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul?
- South Korea ranks 7th out of 129 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, popul rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed short-cycle tertiary education.