Brazil vs China: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes

Brazil
8.74 million number
in 2018
China
46.99 million number
in 2019
Brazil rank
4th
China rank
1st

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes over time

  • Brazil
  • China
010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M197019942019

How they compare

China currently reports 46.99 million number against 8.74 million number in Brazil, a difference of 38.25 million number.

That makes China's figure about 5.4 times Brazil's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 40 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Brazil ahead.

Brazil ranks 4th and China ranks 1st of 193 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 1 and China in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil China Difference Ahead
1970s 1.02 million number 449,164 number 570,106 number Brazil
1980s 1.46 million number 2.98 million number 1.52 million number China
1990s 1.83 million number 4.71 million number 2.88 million number China
2000s 4.41 million number 18.24 million number 13.83 million number China
2010s 7.81 million number 38.59 million number 30.78 million number China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes, Brazil or China?
China, at 46.99 million number against 8.74 million number in Brazil as of 2019.
What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes between Brazil and China?
38.25 million number, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and China?
40 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2018.
How do Brazil and China rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Brazil ranks 4th and China ranks 1st of 193 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.

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Brazil vs China: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/brazil/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 8,058 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.