Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024
GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 48.30 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
48.30 million
Change on year
up 3.8%
Rank
49th
of 221 groups
All-time high
48.30 million
in 2024
All-time low
4.37 million
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 is 48.30 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 42.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 peaked at 48.30 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.37 million, in 1971.
That places GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 49th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.68 million | — |
| 1971 | 4.37 million | -6.7% |
| 1972 | 4.71 million | +7.8% |
| 1973 | 4.83 million | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 4.99 million | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 5.09 million | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 5.04 million | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 5.54 million | +9.9% |
| 1978 | 5.85 million | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 6.30 million | +7.5% |
| 1980 | 6.66 million | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 6.78 million | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 7.18 million | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 7.51 million | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 8.07 million | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 8.27 million | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 8.23 million | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 8.76 million | +6.5% |
| 1988 | 8.63 million | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 8.99 million | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 9.18 million | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 9.37 million | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 9.72 million | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 10.08 million | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 10.65 million | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 11.31 million | +6.2% |
| 1996 | 12.03 million | +6.4% |
| 1997 | 13.37 million | +11.1% |
| 1998 | 14.11 million | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 15.23 million | +7.9% |
| 2000 | 15.96 million | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 16.88 million | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 17.91 million | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 18.73 million | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 19.95 million | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 21.33 million | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 22.27 million | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 23.55 million | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 25.15 million | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 26.83 million | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 28.43 million | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 29.67 million | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 31.46 million | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 32.79 million | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 34.02 million | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 35.25 million | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 36.30 million | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 36.59 million | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 37.07 million | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 39.33 million | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 41.03 million | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 42.80 million | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 44.18 million | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 46.52 million | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 48.30 million | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.14 million | 4.37 million | 6.30 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.91 million | 6.66 million | 8.99 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.51 million | 9.18 million | 15.23 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.86 million | 15.96 million | 26.83 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.09 million | 28.43 million | 39.33 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.57 million | 41.03 million | 48.30 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024
More education data for GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 97.82 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 62.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 104.89 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.96 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 10.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 202.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 4.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.4294 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 →
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 was 48.30 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- The highest recorded value was 48.30 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.37 million in 1971.
- How does GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 ranks 49th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release