Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 5.76 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
5.76 million
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
157th
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.76 million
in 2023
All-time low
309,215
in 1971
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa recorded 5.76 million for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 5.76 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 309,215, in 1971.
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 157th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 313,971 | — |
| 1971 | 309,215 | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 330,846 | +7.0% |
| 1973 | 330,136 | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 350,474 | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 369,199 | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 383,160 | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 401,424 | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 428,756 | +6.8% |
| 1979 | 452,001 | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 481,305 | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 507,705 | +5.5% |
| 1982 | 557,659 | +9.8% |
| 1983 | 585,281 | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 605,376 | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 647,762 | +7.0% |
| 1986 | 690,260 | +6.6% |
| 1987 | 733,391 | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 779,703 | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 842,260 | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 870,131 | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 922,954 | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 982,543 | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 1.05 million | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 1.12 million | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 1.17 million | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 1.21 million | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 1.26 million | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 1.31 million | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 1.35 million | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 1.44 million | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 1.57 million | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 1.70 million | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 1.86 million | +9.5% |
| 2004 | 2.03 million | +9.4% |
| 2005 | 2.20 million | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 2.37 million | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 2.51 million | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.71 million | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 3.00 million | +10.7% |
| 2010 | 3.31 million | +10.6% |
| 2011 | 3.54 million | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 3.77 million | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 4.08 million | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 4.24 million | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 4.44 million | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 4.66 million | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 4.84 million | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 4.99 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 5.07 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 5.22 million | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 5.34 million | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 5.62 million | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 5.76 million | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 366,918 | 309,215 | 452,001 | 10 |
| 1980s | 643,070 | 481,305 | 842,260 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.12 million | 870,131 | 1.35 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.14 million | 1.44 million | 3.00 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.30 million | 3.31 million | 5.07 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.48 million | 5.22 million | 5.76 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- 154 Central African Republic 12,522 compare
- 155 Comoros 12,149 compare
- 156 Cape Verde 11,659 compare
- 157 Bhutan 11,290 compare
- 158 Eritrea 10,231 compare
- 159 Gabon 10,076 compare
- 160 Papua New Guinea 9,943 compare
More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49.26 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.77 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36.30 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 50.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 5.76 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.76 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 309,215 in 1971.
- How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 157th out of 221 groups with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa 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 — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release