Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America

North America: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female was 11.63 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
11.63 million number
Change on year
down 0.0%
Rank
21st
of 43 groups
All-time high
12.81 million number
in 2012
All-time low
3.83 million number
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America, 1970–2019

4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M12.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America stood at 11.63 million number.

That represents a change of down 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America peaked at 12.81 million number in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3.83 million number, in 1970.

North America ranks 21st of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in North America, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 3.83 million number
1971 3.93 million number +2.7%
1972 4.18 million number +6.4%
1973 4.47 million number +7.0%
1974 4.69 million number +5.0%
1975 5.08 million number +8.1%
1976 5.52 million number +8.8%
1977 5.72 million number +3.6%
1978 6.05 million number +5.8%
1979 6.21 million number +2.6%
1980 6.52 million number +4.9%
1981 6.89 million number +5.7%
1982 7.09 million number +3.0%
1983 7.12 million number +0.4%
1984 7.18 million number +0.9%
1985 7.13 million number -0.7%
1986 7.19 million number +0.7%
1987 7.39 million number +2.8%
1988 7.62 million number +3.1%
1989 7.86 million number +3.1%
1990 8.35 million number +6.2%
1991 8.51 million number +2.0%
1992 8.91 million number +4.7%
1993 8.89 million number -0.3%
1994 8.81 million number -0.8%
1995 8.85 million number +0.4%
1996 8.86 million number +0.1%
1997 8.46 million number -4.5%
1998 8.06 million number -4.7%
1999 8.35 million number +3.6%
2000 8.04 million number -3.7%
2001 8.29 million number +3.1%
2002 9.68 million number +16.7%
2003 10.14 million number +4.8%
2004 10.39 million number +2.5%
2005 10.44 million number +0.4%
2006 10.82 million number +3.7%
2007 10.99 million number +1.6%
2008 11.25 million number +2.4%
2009 11.74 million number +4.3%
2010 12.47 million number +6.2%
2011 12.81 million number +2.7%
2012 12.81 million number +0.0%
2013 12.17 million number -5.0%
2014 11.98 million number -1.6%
2015 11.86 million number -1.0%
2016 11.71 million number -1.3%
2017 11.64 million number -0.6%
2018 11.63 million number -0.1%
2019 11.63 million number +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.97 million number 3.83 million number 6.21 million number 10
1980s 7.20 million number 6.52 million number 7.86 million number 10
1990s 8.60 million number 8.06 million number 8.91 million number 10
2000s 10.18 million number 8.04 million number 11.74 million number 10
2010s 12.07 million number 11.63 million number 12.81 million number 10

Countries ranked near North America

  1. 18 Thailand 1.39 million number compare
  2. 19 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.31 million number compare
  3. 20 Republic of Korea 1.30 million number compare
  4. 21 Colombia 1.28 million number compare
  5. 22 Viet Nam 1.25 million number compare
  6. 23 Spain 1.10 million number compare
  7. 24 Italy 1.05 million number compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More education data for North America

All data for North America →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in North America was 11.63 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in North America?
The highest recorded value was 12.81 million number in 2012.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in North America?
The lowest recorded value was 3.83 million number in 1970.
How does North America rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
North America ranks 21st out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in North America?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North America 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 North America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-female-number/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 7,150 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of female students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.