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

India: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 35.15 million number in 2019. β—† Volatile

Latest (2019)
35.15 million number
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
2nd
of 193 countries
All-time high
35.15 million number
in 2019
All-time low
2.47 million number
in 1971
Years of data
41
1971–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in India, 1971–2019

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1971199520191971: 2.5M number1973: 2.8M number1976: 3.0M number1977: 3.0M number1978: 3.2M number1979: 3.2M number1980: 3.3M number1981: 3.5M number1982: 3.4M number1983: 3.9M number1984: 4.2M number1985: 4.3M number1986: 4.5M number1987: 4.8M number1988: 4.3M number1989: 4.5M number1990: 4.8M number1991: 5.0M number1995: 4.9M number1996: 5.7M number1997: 6.1M number2000: 9.4M number2001: 9.8M number2002: 10.6M number2003: 11.3M number2004: 11.9M number2005: 11.8M number2006: 12.9M number2007: 14.9M number2008: 17.2M number2009: 18.5M number2010: 20.7M number2011: 26.7M number2012: 28.6M number2013: 28.2M number2014: 30.3M number2015: 32.1M number2016: 32.4M number2017: 33.4M number2018: 34.3M number2019: 35.1M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in India stood at 35.15 million number. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 90.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in India peaked at 35.15 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.47 million number, in 1971.

India ranks 2nd of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.94 million number 2.47 million number 3.21 million number 6
1980s 4.07 million number 3.28 million number 4.81 million number 10
1990s 5.28 million number 4.78 million number 6.06 million number 5
2000s 12.82 million number 9.40 million number 18.50 million number 10
2010s 30.18 million number 20.74 million number 35.15 million number 10

Countries ranked near India

  1. 1 China 46.99 million number compare
  2. 3 United States 18.94 million number compare
  3. 4 Brazil 8.74 million number compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 8.04 million number compare

See the full ranking of 238 places β†’

More education data for India

All data for India β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in India?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in India was 35.15 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 35.15 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 2.47 million number in 1971.
How does India rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
India ranks 2nd out of 193 countries with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 90.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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 India. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/india/

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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.