Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa

UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 17.53 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
17.53 million
Change on year
up 6.1%
Rank
98th
of 221 groups
All-time high
17.53 million
in 2024
All-time low
845,545
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1970–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa recorded 17.53 million for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of up 6.1% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 17.53 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 845,545, in 1971.

That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 98th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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: Middle East and North Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 2.18 million
1971 845,545 -61.2%
1972 926,706 +9.6%
1973 1.03 million +11.0%
1974 1.31 million +27.0%
1975 1.25 million -4.6%
1976 1.57 million +25.9%
1977 1.50 million -4.5%
1978 1.49 million -0.7%
1979 1.58 million +6.3%
1980 1.72 million +8.6%
1981 1.89 million +10.3%
1982 2.08 million +9.5%
1983 2.20 million +6.1%
1984 2.35 million +6.7%
1985 2.59 million +10.2%
1986 2.61 million +0.8%
1987 2.73 million +4.6%
1988 3.75 million +37.4%
1989 2.89 million -22.9%
1990 3.02 million +4.4%
1991 3.05 million +1.2%
1992 3.43 million +12.1%
1993 3.64 million +6.2%
1994 4.07 million +11.9%
1995 4.34 million +6.7%
1996 4.83 million +11.1%
1997 5.30 million +9.9%
1998 5.75 million +8.5%
1999 6.37 million +10.7%
2000 6.64 million +4.3%
2001 7.08 million +6.7%
2002 7.46 million +5.4%
2003 7.78 million +4.3%
2004 8.47 million +8.9%
2005 9.04 million +6.8%
2006 9.59 million +6.0%
2007 10.39 million +8.3%
2008 11.33 million +9.1%
2009 11.70 million +3.2%
2010 12.48 million +6.7%
2011 12.69 million +1.7%
2012 13.48 million +6.2%
2013 13.96 million +3.6%
2014 14.75 million +5.7%
2015 15.38 million +4.2%
2016 15.14 million -1.6%
2017 15.15 million +0.1%
2018 15.19 million +0.2%
2019 15.19 million +0.0%
2020 15.46 million +1.8%
2021 15.50 million +0.2%
2022 16.00 million +3.2%
2023 16.52 million +3.2%
2024 17.53 million +6.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.37 million 845,545 2.18 million 10
1980s 2.48 million 1.72 million 3.75 million 10
1990s 4.38 million 3.02 million 6.37 million 10
2000s 8.95 million 6.64 million 11.70 million 10
2010s 14.34 million 12.48 million 15.38 million 10
2020s 16.20 million 15.46 million 17.53 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa

  1. 95 Uruguay 202,346 compare
  2. 96 El Salvador 195,949 compare
  3. 97 Bulgaria 195,697 compare
  4. 98 Singapore 194,409 compare
  5. 99 Panama 191,589 compare
  6. 100 Nicaragua 190,957 compare
  7. 101 Georgia 190,822 compare

See the full ranking of 421 places →

More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa

All data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 17.53 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17.53 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 845,545 in 1971.
How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 98th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North 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.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/unicef-middle-east-and-north-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
421 places, 18,321 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release