Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe

UIS: North America and Western Europe: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female was 21.84 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
21.84 million
Change on year
down 2.0%
Rank
52nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
22.29 million
in 2023
All-time low
6.47 million
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe, 1970–2024

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe stood at 21.84 million.

The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe peaked at 22.29 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.47 million, in 1971.

That places UIS: North America and Western Europe 52nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in UIS: North America and Western Europe, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 11.27 million
1971 6.47 million -42.6%
1972 6.81 million +5.1%
1973 7.29 million +7.1%
1974 7.68 million +5.4%
1975 8.03 million +4.6%
1976 8.73 million +8.7%
1977 8.98 million +2.8%
1978 9.31 million +3.7%
1979 9.47 million +1.6%
1980 9.82 million +3.7%
1981 10.24 million +4.3%
1982 10.83 million +5.8%
1983 10.74 million -0.8%
1984 11.31 million +5.3%
1985 11.05 million -2.3%
1986 11.35 million +2.7%
1987 11.44 million +0.8%
1988 11.98 million +4.7%
1989 12.65 million +5.6%
1990 13.21 million +4.4%
1991 13.37 million +1.2%
1992 14.19 million +6.2%
1993 14.48 million +2.0%
1994 14.84 million +2.5%
1995 15.08 million +1.7%
1996 15.22 million +0.9%
1997 14.73 million -3.2%
1998 15.14 million +2.8%
1999 15.58 million +2.9%
2000 15.40 million -1.2%
2001 16.38 million +6.4%
2002 17.49 million +6.8%
2003 18.12 million +3.6%
2004 18.59 million +2.6%
2005 18.72 million +0.7%
2006 19.16 million +2.3%
2007 19.36 million +1.1%
2008 19.60 million +1.2%
2009 20.22 million +3.2%
2010 20.53 million +1.6%
2011 20.83 million +1.5%
2012 20.94 million +0.5%
2013 20.88 million -0.3%
2014 20.78 million -0.5%
2015 20.72 million -0.3%
2016 20.68 million -0.2%
2017 20.79 million +0.5%
2018 20.97 million +0.9%
2019 21.32 million +1.6%
2020 21.70 million +1.8%
2021 22.10 million +1.8%
2022 22.16 million +0.3%
2023 22.29 million +0.6%
2024 21.84 million -2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.40 million 6.47 million 11.27 million 10
1980s 11.14 million 9.82 million 12.65 million 10
1990s 14.58 million 13.21 million 15.58 million 10
2000s 18.30 million 15.40 million 20.22 million 10
2010s 20.85 million 20.53 million 21.32 million 10
2020s 22.02 million 21.70 million 22.29 million 5

Countries ranked near UIS: North America and Western Europe

  1. 49 Belgium 311,113 compare
  2. 50 Sweden 300,133 compare
  3. 51 Romania 298,137 compare
  4. 52 Guatemala 279,477 compare
  5. 53 Kenya 273,073 compare
  6. 54 Austria 242,725 compare
  7. 55 Israel 237,721 compare

See the full ranking of 416 places →

More education data for UIS: North America and Western Europe

All data for UIS: North America and Western Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in UIS: North America and Western Europe was 21.84 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
The highest recorded value was 22.29 million in 2023.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 6.47 million in 1971.
How does UIS: North America and Western Europe rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
UIS: North America and Western Europe ranks 52nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UIS: North America and Western Europe 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 UIS: North America and Western Europe. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-female-number-2/uis-north-america-and-western-europe/

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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