Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe
UNICEF: Western Europe: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 21.78 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
21.78 million
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
82nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
21.78 million
in 2024
All-time low
7.12 million
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe stood at 21.78 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe peaked at 21.78 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.12 million, in 1971.
UNICEF: Western Europe ranks 82nd of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 16.43 million | — |
| 1971 | 7.12 million | -56.7% |
| 1972 | 7.35 million | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 7.87 million | +7.1% |
| 1974 | 8.10 million | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 8.23 million | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 8.86 million | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 9.09 million | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 9.14 million | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 9.15 million | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 9.28 million | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 9.16 million | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 10.04 million | +9.5% |
| 1983 | 9.55 million | -4.9% |
| 1984 | 10.51 million | +10.1% |
| 1985 | 9.92 million | -5.6% |
| 1986 | 10.03 million | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 10.22 million | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 10.77 million | +5.4% |
| 1989 | 11.13 million | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 11.24 million | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 11.10 million | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 11.67 million | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 12.28 million | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 13.16 million | +7.2% |
| 1995 | 13.62 million | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 14.00 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 14.70 million | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 15.44 million | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 16.00 million | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 16.44 million | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 16.99 million | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 17.60 million | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 18.13 million | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 18.48 million | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 18.75 million | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 18.87 million | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 18.87 million | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 18.91 million | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 19.14 million | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 19.52 million | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 19.61 million | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 19.53 million | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 19.24 million | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 19.23 million | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 19.15 million | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 19.22 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 19.43 million | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 19.65 million | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 20.09 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 20.45 million | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 21.24 million | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 21.66 million | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 21.78 million | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 21.78 million | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.13 million | 7.12 million | 16.43 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.06 million | 9.16 million | 11.13 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.32 million | 11.10 million | 16.00 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.22 million | 16.44 million | 19.14 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.47 million | 19.15 million | 20.09 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.38 million | 20.45 million | 21.78 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Western Europe
More education data for UNICEF: Western Europe
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.59 million (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.70 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 223,264 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 27.90 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.0004 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.0005 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Western Europe was 21.78 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Western Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 21.78 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Western Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.12 million in 1971.
- How does UNICEF: Western Europe rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Western Europe ranks 82nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Western Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Western Europe 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