Share of women graduating from STEM programs in tertiary education in South Korea
South Korea: Share of women graduating from STEM programs in tertiary education was 25.22 in 2017. ▼ Falling
Share of women graduating from STEM programs in tertiary education in South Korea, 1998–2017
Source: UNESCO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education in South Korea is 25.22, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education in South Korea peaked at 33.31 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 25.22, in 2017.
That places South Korea 79th out of 96 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Share of women graduating from STEM programs in tertiary education in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 31.07 | — |
| 1999 | 30.41 | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 31.89 | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 31.99 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 33.31 | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 31.42 | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 29.22 | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 29.13 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 27.46 | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 26.15 | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 26.05 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 27.62 | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 27.15 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 27.55 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 27.67 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 27.93 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 25.97 | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 26.36 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 25.22 | -4.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 25.22 is below the median for high income countries, which is 33.99, 74% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 25.22 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 32.08, 79% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.74 | 30.41 | 31.07 | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.43 | 26.05 | 33.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.84 | 25.22 | 27.93 | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 76 Guyana 27.2 compare
- 77 Belgium 25.83 compare
- 78 Macao 25.37 compare
- 80 El Salvador 23.14 compare
- 81 Switzerland 22.32 compare
- 82 Burkina Faso 20.59 compare
More gender data for South Korea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,318 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -3.79 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 46,871 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 46,871 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0957 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 119,025 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 125,732 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 116,471 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 122,813 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,098 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education in South Korea?
- Share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education in South Korea was 25.22 in 2017, according to UNESCO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 33.31 in 2002.
- What is the lowest share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.22 in 2017.
- How does South Korea rank for share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education?
- South Korea ranks 79th out of 96 countries with data for 2017.
- Is share of women graduating from stem programs in tertiary education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women graduating from STEM programs in tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of female graduates in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields at the tertiary level of education.