Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Brazil

Brazil: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 8.74 million number in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
8.74 million number
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
4th
of 193 countries
All-time high
8.74 million number
in 2018
All-time low
430,473 number
in 1970
Years of data
44
1970–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Brazil, 1970–2018

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M1970199420181970: 430.5k number1971: 569.2k number1972: 696.2k number1973: 785.2k number1974: 954.7k number1975: 1.1M number1976: 1.1M number1977: 1.2M number1978: 1.3M number1979: 1.3M number1980: 1.4M number1981: 1.4M number1982: 1.4M number1983: 1.5M number1986: 1.5M number1987: 1.5M number1988: 1.5M number1989: 1.5M number1990: 1.5M number1991: 1.6M number1992: 1.6M number1993: 1.7M number1994: 1.7M number1996: 1.9M number1998: 2.2M number1999: 2.5M number2000: 2.8M number2001: 3.1M number2002: 3.6M number2003: 4.0M number2004: 4.3M number2005: 4.6M number2007: 5.3M number2008: 6.0M number2009: 6.1M number2010: 6.6M number2011: 6.9M number2012: 7.2M number2013: 7.5M number2014: 8.1M number2015: 8.3M number2016: 8.3M number2017: 8.6M number2018: 8.7M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Brazil recorded 8.74 million number for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in 2018. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 46.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Brazil peaked at 8.74 million number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 430,473 number, in 1970.

That places Brazil 4th out of 193 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

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 Brazil, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in Brazil, 1970 to 2018.
Year number Change
1970 430,473 number
1971 569,230 number +32.2%
1972 696,215 number +22.3%
1973 785,159 number +12.8%
1974 954,674 number +21.6%
1975 1.09 million number +14.2%
1976 1.12 million number +2.8%
1977 1.18 million number +5.6%
1978 1.25 million number +5.8%
1979 1.34 million number +7.2%
1980 1.41 million number +5.1%
1981 1.42 million number +0.7%
1982 1.44 million number +1.2%
1983 1.48 million number +3.0%
1986 1.45 million number -1.9%
1987 1.47 million number +1.3%
1988 1.50 million number +2.2%
1989 1.52 million number +1.0%
1990 1.54 million number +1.4%
1991 1.62 million number +5.1%
1992 1.59 million number -1.7%
1993 1.65 million number +3.8%
1994 1.72 million number +3.9%
1996 1.87 million number +8.9%
1998 2.20 million number +17.9%
1999 2.46 million number +11.5%
2000 2.78 million number +13.2%
2001 3.13 million number +12.4%
2002 3.58 million number +14.6%
2003 3.99 million number +11.5%
2004 4.28 million number +7.0%
2005 4.57 million number +7.0%
2007 5.27 million number +15.3%
2008 5.96 million number +13.0%
2009 6.12 million number +2.6%
2010 6.55 million number +7.2%
2011 6.93 million number +5.7%
2012 7.24 million number +4.5%
2013 7.54 million number +4.1%
2014 8.07 million number +7.0%
2015 8.29 million number +2.6%
2016 8.32 million number +0.4%
2017 8.57 million number +3.0%
2018 8.74 million number +2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 941,960 number 430,473 number 1.34 million number 10
1980s 1.46 million number 1.41 million number 1.52 million number 8
1990s 1.83 million number 1.54 million number 2.46 million number 8
2000s 4.41 million number 2.78 million number 6.12 million number 9
2010s 7.81 million number 6.55 million number 8.74 million number 9

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 1 China 46.99 million number compare
  2. 2 India 35.15 million number compare
  3. 3 United States of America 18.94 million number compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 8.04 million number compare
  5. 6 Türkiye 7.56 million number compare
  6. 7 Russian Federation 5.77 million number compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More education data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Brazil?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Brazil was 8.74 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 8.74 million number in 2018.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 430,473 number in 1970.
How does Brazil rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Brazil ranks 4th out of 193 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Brazil 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 Brazil. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/brazil/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 8,058 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.