Italy vs Spain: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes
Italy
2.22 million
in 2023
Spain
2.44 million
in 2024
Italy rank
23rd
Spain rank
22nd
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes over time
- Italy
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 2.44 million against 2.22 million in Italy, a difference of 227,070.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 52 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 22nd of 200 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 4 and Spain in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 911,395 | 457,550 | 453,845 | Italy |
| 1980s | 1.16 million | 871,934 | 291,553 | Italy |
| 1990s | 1.69 million | 1.49 million | 198,994 | Italy |
| 2000s | 1.94 million | 1.81 million | 130,586 | Italy |
| 2010s | 1.89 million | 1.98 million | 91,128 | Spain |
| 2020s | 2.12 million | 2.27 million | 149,255 | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes, Italy or Spain?
- Spain, at 2.44 million against 2.22 million in Italy as of 2024.
- What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes between Italy and Spain?
- 227,070, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
- 52 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2023.
- How do Italy and Spain rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- Italy ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 22nd of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release