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

World: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 227.56 million number in 2019. β—† Volatile

Latest (2019)
227.56 million number
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
1st
of 44 groups
All-time high
227.56 million number
in 2019
All-time low
31.98 million number
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World, 1970–2019

50.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World is 227.56 million number, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 31.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World peaked at 227.56 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 31.98 million number, in 1970.

World ranks 1st of 44 groups 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 40.43 million number 31.98 million number 48.37 million number 10
1980s 58.91 million number 50.09 million number 65.87 million number 10
1990s 78.75 million number 67.87 million number 95.23 million number 10
2000s 136.48 million number 100.16 million number 172.93 million number 10
2010s 209.95 million number 182.26 million number 227.56 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 China, People's Republic of 46.99 million number compare
  2. 2 India 35.15 million number compare
  3. 3 United States 18.94 million number compare
  4. 4 Brazil 8.74 million number compare

See the full ranking of 238 places β†’

More education data for World

All data for World β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World was 227.56 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 227.56 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 31.98 million number in 1970.
How does World rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
World ranks 1st out of 44 groups with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this World 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 Β· JSON β€” 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/world/">Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in World</a> β€” Statizoid

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.