Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in United States

United States: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 18.94 million number in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
18.94 million number
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
3rd
of 193 countries
All-time high
19.70 million number
in 2014
All-time low
18.94 million number
in 2018
Years of data
5
2014–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in United States, 2014–2018

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M2014201620182014: 19.7M number2015: 19.5M number2016: 19.3M number2017: 19.0M number2018: 18.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in United States is 18.94 million number, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.8% over five years.

United States ranks 3rd of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in United States, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in United States, 2014 to 2018.
Year number Change
2014 19.70 million number
2015 19.53 million number -0.9%
2016 19.29 million number -1.2%
2017 19.01 million number -1.4%
2018 18.94 million number -0.4%

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 China 46.99 million number compare
  2. 2 India 35.15 million number compare
  3. 4 Brazil 8.74 million number compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 8.04 million number compare
  5. 6 Turkey 7.56 million number compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More education data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in United States?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in United States was 18.94 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 19.70 million number in 2014.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 18.94 million number in 2018.
How does United States rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
United States ranks 3rd out of 193 countries with data for 2018.
Where does this United States 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 United States. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/united-states/

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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.