Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Korea

South Korea: Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science was 70.6% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
70.6%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
86th
of 98 countries
All-time high
70.6%
in 2017
All-time low
57.7%
in 1998
Years of data
16
1998–2017

Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Korea, 1998–2017

0204060801998200720171998: 57.7 %1999: 58.2 %2000: 59.6 %2001: 58.6 %2002: 58.9 %2003: 59.2 %2004: 61.3 %2005: 62.6 %2006: 64.1 %2007: 65.7 %2008: 67.2 %2009: 68.8 %2011: 67.7 %2015: 70.5 %2016: 70.1 %2017: 70.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2017, percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Korea stood at 70.6%. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Korea peaked at 70.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 57.7%, in 1998.

South Korea ranks 86th of 98 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in tertiary education, both sexes (%) in South Korea, 1998 to 2017.
Year % Change
1998 57.7% —
1999 58.2% +0.8%
2000 59.6% +2.4%
2001 58.6% -1.7%
2002 58.9% +0.6%
2003 59.2% +0.5%
2004 61.3% +3.6%
2005 62.6% +2.0%
2006 64.1% +2.5%
2007 65.7% +2.5%
2008 67.2% +2.2%
2009 68.8% +2.3%
2011 67.7% -1.5%
2015 70.5% +4.1%
2016 70.1% -0.5%
2017 70.6% +0.8%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 70.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 77.6%, 91% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 70.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.8%, 92% of the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 57.9% 57.7% 58.2% 2
2000s 62.6% 58.6% 68.8% 10
2010s 69.7% 67.7% 70.6% 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 83 Romania 71.2% compare
  2. 84 Eritrea 71.0% compare
  3. 85 Portugal 70.9% compare
  4. 87 Russia 68.9% compare
  5. 88 Austria 68.8% compare
  6. 89 India 67.8% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Korea?
Percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Korea was 70.6% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from programmes other than science recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 70.6% in 2017.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from programmes other than science recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 57.7% in 1998.
How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from programmes other than science?
South Korea ranks 86th out of 98 countries with data for 2017.
Is percentage of graduates from programmes other than science rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in tertiary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-programmes-other-than-science-technology-engineering-and/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in tertiary education, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,156 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the reference year.