Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP was 1.7% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
1.7%
World rank
53rd
of 152 countries
All-time high
2.2%
in 1982
All-time low
0.5%
in 1981
Years of data
27
1970–2016

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Republic of Korea, 1970–2016

0.511.521970199320161970: 0.717 %1971: 0.84 %1972: 0.88 %1973: 0.643 %1975: 0.776 %1976: 0.693 %1977: 0.792 %1979: 0.967 %1980: 1.2 %1981: 0.537 %1982: 2.2 %1983: 1.4 %1984: 1.4 %1985: 1.5 %1986: 1.4 %1987: 1.3 %1988: 0.856 %1989: 0.922 %1990: 1 %1991: 1.4 %1992: 1.4 %1993: 1.5 %1994: 1 %1995: 1.1 %1998: 1.3 %1999: 1.3 %2016: 1.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Republic of Korea stood at 1.7%.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Republic of Korea peaked at 2.2% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1981.

That places Republic of Korea 53rd out of 152 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%) in Republic of Korea, 1970 to 2016.
Year % Change
1970 0.7%
1971 0.8% +17.3%
1972 0.9% +4.7%
1973 0.6% -26.9%
1975 0.8% +20.6%
1976 0.7% -10.7%
1977 0.8% +14.3%
1979 1.0% +22.1%
1980 1.2% +20.8%
1981 0.5% -54.0%
1982 2.2% +301.3%
1983 1.4% -34.5%
1984 1.4% +1.4%
1985 1.5% +5.3%
1986 1.4% -7.4%
1987 1.3% -5.0%
1988 0.9% -35.5%
1989 0.9% +7.7%
1990 1.0% +10.3%
1991 1.4% +33.2%
1992 1.4% +4.6%
1993 1.5% +3.7%
1994 1.0% -29.4%
1995 1.1% +3.6%
1998 1.3% +18.2%
1999 1.3% -1.2%
2016 1.7% +33.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.8% 0.6% 1.0% 8
1980s 1.3% 0.5% 2.2% 10
1990s 1.2% 1.0% 1.5% 8
2010s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 50 Czechia 1.7% compare
  2. 51 Slovakia 1.7% compare
  3. 52 Colombia 1.7% compare
  4. 54 Ukraine 1.7% compare
  5. 55 Ghana 1.7% compare
  6. 56 Uruguay 1.7% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Republic of Korea?
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Republic of Korea was 1.7% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1982.
What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1981.
How does Republic of Korea rank for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
Republic of Korea ranks 53rd out of 152 countries with data for 2016.
Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,921 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on secondary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/