Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in France

France: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) was 1.60 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.60 million
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
17th
of 195 countries
All-time high
1.60 million
in 2024
All-time low
488,509
in 1980
Years of data
44
1979–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in France, 1979–2024

500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1.5M1979200120241979: 493.3k1980: 488.5k1982: 557.0k1983: 579.5k1985: 627.0k1986: 643.4k1987: 653.3k1988: 679.5k1989: 777.8k1990: 834.3k1991: 902.6k1992: 989.4k1993: 1.1M1994: 1.1M1995: 1.1M1996: 1.1M1997: 1.1M1998: 1.1M1999: 1.1M2000: 1.1M2001: 1.1M2002: 1.1M2003: 1.2M2004: 1.2M2005: 1.2M2006: 1.2M2007: 1.2M2008: 1.2M2009: 1.2M2010: 1.2M2011: 1.2M2012: 1.3M2013: 1.3M2014: 1.3M2015: 1.3M2016: 1.3M2017: 1.4M2018: 1.4M2019: 1.5M2020: 1.5M2021: 1.5M2022: 1.6M2023: 1.6M2024: 1.6M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in France stood at 1.60 million. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in France peaked at 1.60 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 488,509, in 1980.

France ranks 17th of 195 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in France, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in France, 1979 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1979 493,329 —
1980 488,509 -1.0%
1982 556,990 +14.0%
1983 579,459 +4.0%
1985 626,986 +8.2%
1986 643,429 +2.6%
1987 653,330 +1.5%
1988 679,548 +4.0%
1989 777,815 +14.5%
1990 834,267 +7.3%
1991 902,557 +8.2%
1992 989,443 +9.6%
1993 1.06 million +7.0%
1994 1.14 million +7.5%
1995 1.14 million +0.0%
1996 1.15 million +0.8%
1997 1.13 million -1.2%
1998 1.11 million -2.2%
1999 1.10 million -1.2%
2000 1.09 million -0.3%
2001 1.10 million +0.7%
2002 1.11 million +1.1%
2003 1.17 million +4.9%
2004 1.19 million +2.0%
2005 1.21 million +1.6%
2006 1.22 million +0.8%
2007 1.21 million -1.0%
2008 1.19 million -0.9%
2009 1.20 million +0.4%
2010 1.23 million +2.8%
2011 1.24 million +0.4%
2012 1.26 million +1.7%
2013 1.28 million +1.3%
2014 1.30 million +2.1%
2015 1.32 million +1.4%
2016 1.35 million +2.1%
2017 1.38 million +2.2%
2018 1.43 million +3.4%
2019 1.46 million +2.5%
2020 1.51 million +3.2%
2021 1.55 million +2.6%
2022 1.60 million +3.2%
2023 1.58 million -0.8%
2024 1.60 million +1.2%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 1.60 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 97,133, 16.5× the median. (74 countries reporting)
  • France's 1.60 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 157,648, 10.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 493,329 493,329 493,329 1
1980s 625,758 488,509 777,815 8
1990s 1.05 million 834,267 1.15 million 10
2000s 1.17 million 1.09 million 1.22 million 10
2010s 1.32 million 1.23 million 1.46 million 10
2020s 1.57 million 1.51 million 1.60 million 5

Countries ranked near France

  1. 14 Bangladesh 1.81 million compare
  2. 15 Germany 1.66 million compare
  3. 16 Iran 1.64 million compare
  4. 18 Vietnam 1.35 million compare
  5. 19 Spain 1.34 million compare
  6. 20 Pakistan 1.33 million compare

See the full ranking of 416 places →

More education data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in France?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in France was 1.60 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 1.60 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 488,509 in 1980.
How does France rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
France ranks 17th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in France. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 October 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-female-number-2/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
416 places, 17,247 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release