Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in France
France: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) was 2.88 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.88 million
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
17th
of 200 countries
All-time high
2.88 million
in 2022
All-time low
801,156
in 1971
Years of data
53
1971–2024
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in France, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
France recorded 2.88 million for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in France peaked at 2.88 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 801,156, in 1971.
That places France 17th out of 200 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 801,156 | — |
| 1972 | 841,049 | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 906,568 | +7.8% |
| 1974 | 936,052 | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 989,439 | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 1.04 million | +5.0% |
| 1977 | 1.04 million | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 1.09 million | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 1.02 million | -6.1% |
| 1980 | 1.06 million | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 1.08 million | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.15 million | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 1.18 million | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 1.26 million | +6.5% |
| 1986 | 1.28 million | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 1.29 million | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 1.33 million | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 1.48 million | +11.2% |
| 1990 | 1.59 million | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 1.70 million | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 1.84 million | +8.3% |
| 1993 | 1.95 million | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 2.08 million | +6.7% |
| 1995 | 2.07 million | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 2.09 million | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 2.06 million | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 2.03 million | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 2.01 million | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 2.02 million | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 2.03 million | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 2.03 million | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 2.12 million | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 2.16 million | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 2.19 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 2.20 million | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 2.18 million | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 2.16 million | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 2.17 million | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 2.25 million | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 2.26 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 2.30 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 2.34 million | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 2.39 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 2.42 million | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 2.48 million | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 2.53 million | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 2.62 million | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 2.69 million | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 2.75 million | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 2.81 million | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 2.88 million | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 2.85 million | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 2.88 million | +0.9% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 2.88 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 158,952, 18.1× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- France's 2.88 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 294,128, 9.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 962,558 | 801,156 | 1.09 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.23 million | 1.06 million | 1.48 million | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.94 million | 1.59 million | 2.09 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.13 million | 2.02 million | 2.20 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.43 million | 2.25 million | 2.69 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.83 million | 2.75 million | 2.88 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0602 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in France?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in France was 2.88 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 2.88 million in 2022.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 801,156 in 1971.
- How does France rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- France ranks 17th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release