Korea, Rep.'s labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education) was 74.73% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 2.79 percentage points from 71.94% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 74.73% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 71.36% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 71.94% | 2015 |
| Highest | 74.73% | 2025 |
| Lowest | 65.7% | 2000 |
| Average since 2016 | 72.95% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 65.7% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Korea, Rep.'s labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education) rose 0.07 percentage points on 2024 (from 74.66% to 74.73%).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was +0.37 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.95 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.94 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.33 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 68% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Korea, Rep. had the 12th highest value of the 17 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Korea, Rep. | 74.73% | 2025 |
| High income | 76.57% | 2024 |
Closest to Korea, Rep. in the 2025 ranking
- Austria — 9th of 17: 79.99%
- Spain — 10th of 17: 78.31%
- Ecuador — 11th of 17: 77.19%
- Canada — 13th of 17: 73.48%
- Costa Rica — 14th of 17: 72.54%
- United States — 15th of 17: 70.98%
What this measures
The ratio of the labor force with advanced education to the working-age population with advanced education. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 26 values
| Year | Labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 74.73 |
| 2024 | 74.66 |
| 2023 | 74.07 |
| 2022 | 73.53 |
| 2021 | 72.18 |
| 2020 | 71.36 |
| 2019 | 72.3 |
| 2018 | 72.24 |
| 2017 | 72.3 |
| 2016 | 72.11 |
Labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education) in nearby economies
- Australia — 79.45% (2024)
- Cambodia — 80.53% (2023)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 73.16% (2024)
- Indonesia — 81.42% (2023)
- Malaysia — 77.92% (2022)
- Mongolia — 76.47% (2024)
- Philippines — 68.06% (2023)
More social protection & labor data for Korea, Rep.
- Net migration — 65,731 (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 2.79% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 57.31% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 78.79% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 72.74% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 64.92% (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 2.74% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Korea, Rep.'s labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education)?
- 74.73% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is up 9.03 percentage points from 65.7% in 2000. The highest value was 74.73% in 2025 and the lowest 65.7% in 2000.
- How does Korea, Rep. rank?
- 12th highest of 17 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education) unusual for Korea, Rep.?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.ADVN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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