Italy vs Spain: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes

Italy
1.90 million number
in 2018
Spain
2.05 million number
in 2018
Italy rank
24th
Spain rank
22nd

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

  • Italy
  • Spain
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M197119942018

How they compare

Spain currently reports 2.05 million number against 1.90 million number in Italy, a difference of 155,840 number.

That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 47 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 24th and Spain ranks 22nd of 193 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 4 and Spain in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy Spain Difference Ahead
1970s 911,395 number 457,550 number 453,845 number Italy
1980s 1.16 million number 871,934 number 291,553 number Italy
1990s 1.69 million number 1.49 million number 198,994 number Italy
2000s 1.94 million number 1.81 million number 130,586 number Italy
2010s 1.89 million number 1.97 million number 85,007 number 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 2.05 million number against 1.90 million number in Italy as of 2018.
What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes between Italy and Spain?
155,840 number, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
47 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2018.
How do Italy and Spain rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Italy ranks 24th and Spain ranks 22nd 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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Italy vs Spain: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/italy/spain/

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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.