About 40 percent of South Korean adults have attended college or university, according to recent research, a significant jump from 7 percent 40 years ago.

Statistics Korea announced on Monday that 43.2 percent (15.87 million) of the total adult population (36.7 million) in 2010 had attended college or university. The number includes dropouts and recipients who did not yet earn their diplomas. In 1970, only 6.6 percent (0.99 million) among the total adult population of 15.1 million were college or university-educated.

The percentage of adults with higher education has steadily increased over the past four decades, marking 10.3 percent in 1980, 18.8 percent in 1990 and 31.4 percent in 2000.

The increased demand for a highly educated workforce during the industrialization and informatization periods as well as the notable educational fever here has led the change, Statistics Korea said in a report.

The data also showed that about 32.5 percent (11.93 million) of the total adult population in 2010 were high-school graduates; 9.3 percent (3.42 million) were middle-school graduates; and 10.7 percent (3.93 million) elementary-school graduates.

Those who did not receive any education has decreased from 29 percent (4.38 million) in 1970 to 4.3 percent (1.59 million) in 2010.

The number of colleges and universities likewise increased over the past 40 years, from 224 in 1980 to 241 in 1990; 349 in 2000; and 360 in 2005. However, Over 40% of adults attended university: data the number fell to 345 in 2010, as the nation became oversaturated with higher-learning institutes.

Korea flies high in international higher-education rankings: An OECD report showed that in 2009, 39 percent of Koreans aged between 25 to 64 attained a university or college education or higher. The figure surpassed the OECD average of 30 percent.

The nation’s educational zeal is leading to a significant side effect: the soaring cost for private education. Last year the total coast for below-university-level private education marked over 20.12 trillion won ($18.35 billion). About 9.46 trillion won was used for elementary students; 6.6 trillion won for middle-school students; and 5.79 trillion won for high-school students.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)