Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Korea

South Korea: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and was 29.3% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
29.3%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
12th
of 98 countries
All-time high
42.3%
in 1998
All-time low
29.3%
in 2017
Years of data
16
1998–2017

Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Korea, 1998–2017

0102030401998200720171998: 42.3 %1999: 41.8 %2000: 40.4 %2001: 41.4 %2002: 41.1 %2003: 40.8 %2004: 38.7 %2005: 37.4 %2006: 35.9 %2007: 34.3 %2008: 32.8 %2009: 31.2 %2011: 32.3 %2015: 29.5 %2016: 29.9 %2017: 29.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea is 29.3%, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea peaked at 42.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 29.3%, in 2017.

South Korea ranks 12th of 98 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%) in South Korea, 1998 to 2017.
Year % Change
1998 42.3% —
1999 41.8% -1.0%
2000 40.4% -3.4%
2001 41.4% +2.5%
2002 41.1% -0.8%
2003 40.8% -0.8%
2004 38.7% -5.2%
2005 37.4% -3.2%
2006 35.9% -4.2%
2007 34.3% -4.4%
2008 32.8% -4.3%
2009 31.2% -4.8%
2011 32.3% +3.4%
2015 29.5% -8.5%
2016 29.9% +1.2%
2017 29.3% -1.9%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 29.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 22.2%, 1.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 29.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22.7%, 1.3× the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 42.1% 41.8% 42.3% 2
2000s 37.4% 31.2% 41.4% 10
2010s 30.3% 29.3% 32.3% 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 9 India 32.2% compare
  2. 10 Russia 31.1% compare
  3. 11 Austria 31.0% compare
  4. 13 Portugal 29.1% compare
  5. 14 Eritrea 29.0% compare
  6. 15 Romania 28.8% 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 science, technology, engineering and in South Korea?
Percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Korea was 29.3% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 42.3% in 1998.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 29.3% in 2017.
How does South Korea rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
South Korea ranks 12th out of 98 countries with data for 2017.
Is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. 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 Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-programmes-in/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,157 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

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