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

Italy: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 1.90 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
1.90 million number
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
24th
of 193 countries
All-time high
2.03 million number
in 2007
All-time low
687,242 number
in 1971
Years of data
47
1971–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Italy, 1971–2018

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M197119942018

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Italy recorded 1.90 million number for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in 2018.

The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Italy peaked at 2.03 million number in 2007 and was at its lowest, 687,242 number, in 1971.

Italy ranks 24th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in Italy, 1971 to 2018.
Year number Change
1971 687,242 number
1972 788,690 number +14.8%
1973 808,740 number +2.5%
1974 847,321 number +4.8%
1975 930,211 number +9.8%
1976 976,712 number +5.0%
1977 1.02 million number +4.5%
1978 1.05 million number +3.1%
1979 1.09 million number +3.6%
1980 1.10 million number +0.7%
1981 1.12 million number +1.8%
1983 1.09 million number -2.4%
1984 1.12 million number +2.7%
1985 1.18 million number +5.5%
1986 1.19 million number +0.3%
1987 1.15 million number -2.7%
1988 1.23 million number +6.5%
1989 1.30 million number +5.6%
1990 1.36 million number +4.8%
1991 1.45 million number +6.9%
1992 1.53 million number +5.6%
1993 1.62 million number +5.3%
1994 1.77 million number +9.6%
1995 1.79 million number +1.2%
1996 1.78 million number -0.9%
1997 1.89 million number +6.6%
1998 1.87 million number -1.2%
1999 1.80 million number -3.8%
2000 1.77 million number -1.5%
2001 1.81 million number +2.4%
2002 1.85 million number +2.3%
2003 1.91 million number +3.2%
2004 1.99 million number +3.8%
2005 2.02 million number +1.4%
2006 2.03 million number +0.7%
2007 2.03 million number +0.2%
2008 2.01 million number -1.0%
2009 2.01 million number -0.1%
2010 1.98 million number -1.6%
2011 1.97 million number -0.6%
2012 1.93 million number -2.1%
2013 1.87 million number -2.8%
2014 1.85 million number -1.0%
2015 1.83 million number -1.5%
2016 1.82 million number -0.6%
2017 1.84 million number +1.2%
2018 1.90 million number +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 911,395 number 687,242 number 1.09 million number 9
1980s 1.16 million number 1.09 million number 1.30 million number 9
1990s 1.69 million number 1.36 million number 1.89 million number 10
2000s 1.94 million number 1.77 million number 2.03 million number 10
2010s 1.89 million number 1.82 million number 1.98 million number 9

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 21 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 2.12 million number compare
  2. 22 Spain 2.05 million number compare
  3. 23 Viet Nam 1.97 million number compare
  4. 25 Peru 1.90 million number compare
  5. 26 Pakistan 1.88 million number compare
  6. 27 Australia 1.68 million number compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More education data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Italy?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Italy was 1.90 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 2.03 million number in 2007.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 687,242 number in 1971.
How does Italy rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Italy ranks 24th out of 193 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy 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 Italy. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/italy/

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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.