Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 45,291 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 45,291 for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 96.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 46,702 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12,551, in 2010.
Sri Lanka ranks 51st of 149 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 12,551 | — |
| 2011 | 14,320 | +14.1% |
| 2012 | 23,046 | +60.9% |
| 2015 | 18,000 | -21.9% |
| 2016 | 24,195 | +34.4% |
| 2017 | 30,884 | +27.6% |
| 2018 | 35,202 | +14.0% |
| 2019 | 46,702 | +32.7% |
| 2020 | 43,800 | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 45,157 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 45,291 | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 25,612 | 12,551 | 46,702 | 8 |
| 2020s | 44,749 | 43,800 | 45,291 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 48 Singapore 56,675 compare
- 49 Benin 49,126
- 50 Azerbaijan 46,245 compare
- 52 Sweden 44,202 compare
- 53 Netherlands 39,988 compare
- 54 New Zealand 39,233 compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 73,333 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 45,291 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 46,702 in 2019.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,551 in 2010.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 51st out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 96.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release