Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia

MDG: Southern Asia: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female was 26.97 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
26.97 million
Change on year
up 1.8%
Rank
41st
of 221 groups
All-time high
26.97 million
in 2024
All-time low
599,053
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia, 1970–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia stood at 26.97 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 43.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia peaked at 26.97 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 599,053, in 1971.

MDG: Southern Asia ranks 41st of 221 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in MDG: Southern Asia, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 2.07 million
1971 599,053 -71.1%
1972 2.08 million +248.0%
1973 679,671 -67.4%
1974 2.16 million +217.2%
1975 2.23 million +3.2%
1976 813,405 -63.5%
1977 863,051 +6.1%
1978 909,614 +5.4%
1979 987,401 +8.6%
1980 1.02 million +3.4%
1981 1.13 million +10.8%
1982 1.20 million +6.3%
1983 1.37 million +13.8%
1984 1.48 million +8.2%
1985 1.59 million +7.2%
1986 1.70 million +7.2%
1987 1.80 million +5.9%
1988 1.74 million -3.6%
1989 1.85 million +6.7%
1990 2.00 million +7.9%
1991 2.10 million +5.1%
1992 3.62 million +72.3%
1993 3.69 million +2.0%
1994 3.75 million +1.7%
1995 2.31 million -38.6%
1996 2.75 million +19.3%
1997 2.99 million +8.5%
1998 4.35 million +45.6%
1999 4.51 million +3.7%
2000 4.66 million +3.2%
2001 5.10 million +9.5%
2002 5.46 million +7.1%
2003 5.81 million +6.4%
2004 6.18 million +6.3%
2005 6.59 million +6.6%
2006 7.32 million +11.1%
2007 8.38 million +14.5%
2008 9.72 million +16.0%
2009 10.41 million +7.1%
2010 11.85 million +13.9%
2011 15.06 million +27.0%
2012 16.99 million +12.8%
2013 17.29 million +1.8%
2014 18.77 million +8.6%
2015 19.66 million +4.7%
2016 19.75 million +0.4%
2017 20.38 million +3.2%
2018 21.05 million +3.3%
2019 22.39 million +6.4%
2020 23.15 million +3.4%
2021 24.32 million +5.1%
2022 24.87 million +2.3%
2023 26.49 million +6.5%
2024 26.97 million +1.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.34 million 599,053 2.23 million 10
1980s 1.49 million 1.02 million 1.85 million 10
1990s 3.21 million 2.00 million 4.51 million 10
2000s 6.96 million 4.66 million 10.41 million 10
2010s 18.32 million 11.85 million 22.39 million 10
2020s 25.16 million 23.15 million 26.97 million 5

Countries ranked near MDG: Southern Asia

  1. 38 Nigeria 608,519 compare
  2. 39 Ecuador 601,784 compare
  3. 40 Myanmar 545,901 compare
  4. 41 Netherlands 530,206 compare
  5. 42 Greece 433,746 compare
  6. 43 Kazakhstan 412,488 compare
  7. 44 Syria 361,423 compare

See the full ranking of 416 places →

More education data for MDG: Southern Asia

All data for MDG: Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in MDG: Southern Asia was 26.97 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in MDG: Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 26.97 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in MDG: Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 599,053 in 1971.
How does MDG: Southern Asia rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
MDG: Southern Asia ranks 41st out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in MDG: Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this MDG: Southern Asia 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 MDG: Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-female-number-2/mdg-southern-asia/

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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