This study compares the distribution and allocation of cognitive skills of 16-65 year old population in 33 countries including Korea. Comparing the distribution of cognitive skills by country reveals that Korea ranks higher at the bottom of the skill distribution but ranks lower at the top of the distribution. Comparing the allocation of cognitive skills between public and private sectors by countryshows that the cognitive skills of public sector workers tend to be higher than that of private sector workers in Korea and that the superiority of the public sector workers in Korea is evident at the top of the skill distribution. These results suggest that Korea has fewer high-skilled workers compared to major countries, and that in Korea, high-skilled workers are mainly allocated in the public sector.