Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries

UNICEF: All Unicef Countries: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 43.50 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
43.50 million
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
6th
of 218 groups
All-time high
43.50 million
in 2024
All-time low
13.00 million
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1998–2024

10.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1998201120241998: 13.0M1999: 13.7M2000: 14.5M2001: 15.8M2002: 17.6M2003: 20.3M2004: 21.8M2005: 22.9M2006: 24.7M2007: 25.5M2008: 26.3M2009: 27.9M2010: 29.8M2011: 30.3M2012: 30.8M2013: 28.3M2014: 32.5M2015: 33.4M2016: 33.0M2017: 33.2M2018: 33.8M2019: 34.9M2020: 37.5M2021: 39.6M2022: 41.3M2023: 42.9M2024: 43.5M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

UNICEF: All Unicef Countries recorded 43.50 million for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 33.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries peaked at 43.50 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.00 million, in 1998.

That places UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 6th out of 218 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1998 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1998 13.00 million
1999 13.68 million +5.2%
2000 14.54 million +6.3%
2001 15.80 million +8.7%
2002 17.64 million +11.6%
2003 20.33 million +15.3%
2004 21.76 million +7.0%
2005 22.92 million +5.4%
2006 24.71 million +7.8%
2007 25.50 million +3.2%
2008 26.30 million +3.2%
2009 27.93 million +6.2%
2010 29.80 million +6.7%
2011 30.35 million +1.8%
2012 30.84 million +1.6%
2013 28.31 million -8.2%
2014 32.51 million +14.8%
2015 33.43 million +2.8%
2016 32.98 million -1.3%
2017 33.24 million +0.8%
2018 33.85 million +1.8%
2019 34.87 million +3.0%
2020 37.47 million +7.5%
2021 39.57 million +5.6%
2022 41.34 million +4.5%
2023 42.90 million +3.8%
2024 43.50 million +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 13.34 million 13.00 million 13.68 million 2
2000s 21.74 million 14.54 million 27.93 million 10
2010s 32.02 million 28.31 million 34.87 million 10
2020s 40.96 million 37.47 million 43.50 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: All Unicef Countries

  1. 3 Russian Federation 3.26 million compare
  2. 4 Türkiye 2.65 million compare
  3. 5 Indonesia 936,547 compare
  4. 6 Japan 721,558 compare
  5. 7 Colombia 698,105 compare
  6. 8 Viet Nam 633,311 compare
  7. 9 Spain 618,910 compare

See the full ranking of 367 places →

More education data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries

All data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries was 43.50 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
The highest recorded value was 43.50 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
The lowest recorded value was 13.00 million in 1998.
How does UNICEF: All Unicef Countries rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 6th out of 218 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 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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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/unicef-all-unicef-countries/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
367 places, 7,760 data points, 1997–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release