Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea

South Korea: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 677,032 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
677,032 number
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
8th
of 143 countries
All-time high
1.32 million number
in 2002
All-time low
677,032 number
in 2018
Years of data
21
1998–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea, 1998–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1998200820181998: 1.1M number1999: 1.1M number2000: 1.2M number2001: 1.3M number2002: 1.3M number2003: 1.3M number2004: 1.3M number2005: 1.2M number2006: 1.2M number2007: 1.1M number2008: 772.0k number2009: 761.1k number2010: 767.3k number2011: 812.4k number2012: 807.3k number2013: 785.4k number2014: 767.3k number2015: 745.8k number2016: 721.1k number2017: 700.7k number2018: 677.0k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea is 677,032 number, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 1.32 million number in 2002 and was at its lowest, 677,032 number, in 2018.

South Korea ranks 8th of 143 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in South Korea, 1998 to 2018.
Year number Change
1998 1.06 million number —
1999 1.14 million number +7.6%
2000 1.22 million number +7.1%
2001 1.28 million number +4.9%
2002 1.32 million number +2.5%
2003 1.29 million number -2.0%
2004 1.26 million number -2.1%
2005 1.22 million number -3.1%
2006 1.18 million number -3.2%
2007 1.14 million number -3.8%
2008 772,027 number -32.2%
2009 761,102 number -1.4%
2010 767,255 number +0.8%
2011 812,413 number +5.9%
2012 807,345 number -0.6%
2013 785,400 number -2.7%
2014 767,297 number -2.3%
2015 745,836 number -2.8%
2016 721,088 number -3.3%
2017 700,679 number -2.8%
2018 677,032 number -3.4%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 677,032 number is above the median for high income countries, which is 10,411 number, 65.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 677,032 number is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 69,772 number, 9.7× the median. (18 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes 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.

YearChange FromTo
2008 -32.2% 1.14 million number 772,027 number

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.10 million number 1.06 million number 1.14 million number 2
2000s 1.15 million number 761,102 number 1.32 million number 10
2010s 753,816 number 677,032 number 812,413 number 9

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 5 Indonesia 978,740 number compare
  2. 6 Japan 758,779 number compare
  3. 7 Colombia 686,641 number compare
  4. 9 Iran 654,441 number compare
  5. 10 Argentina 627,763 number compare
  6. 11 Nigeria 555,491 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea was 677,032 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 1.32 million number in 2002.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 677,032 number in 2018.
How does South Korea rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
South Korea ranks 8th out of 143 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,883 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private short-cycle tertiary education programmes (ISCED 5).