Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World

UNICEF: World: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 52.63 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
52.63 million
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
5th
of 218 groups
All-time high
52.63 million
in 2024
All-time low
20.10 million
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World, 1998–2024

020.0M40.0M60.0M1998201120241998: 20.1M1999: 20.9M2000: 22.0M2001: 22.3M2002: 23.1M2003: 27.0M2004: 29.7M2005: 32.7M2006: 32.7M2007: 33.8M2008: 35.0M2009: 36.5M2010: 39.0M2011: 40.3M2012: 41.6M2013: 39.1M2014: 43.2M2015: 44.0M2016: 43.5M2017: 43.3M2018: 43.8M2019: 45.0M2020: 46.8M2021: 48.7M2022: 50.2M2023: 52.3M2024: 52.6M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

UNICEF: World recorded 52.63 million for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 21.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World peaked at 52.63 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 20.10 million, in 1998.

That places UNICEF: World 5th 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: World, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in UNICEF: World, 1998 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1998 20.10 million
1999 20.90 million +4.0%
2000 22.03 million +5.4%
2001 22.33 million +1.4%
2002 23.05 million +3.2%
2003 26.96 million +17.0%
2004 29.70 million +10.1%
2005 32.70 million +10.1%
2006 32.74 million +0.1%
2007 33.82 million +3.3%
2008 34.96 million +3.4%
2009 36.47 million +4.3%
2010 38.97 million +6.9%
2011 40.31 million +3.4%
2012 41.57 million +3.1%
2013 39.10 million -5.9%
2014 43.16 million +10.4%
2015 44.00 million +2.0%
2016 43.46 million -1.2%
2017 43.33 million -0.3%
2018 43.77 million +1.0%
2019 44.97 million +2.7%
2020 46.75 million +4.0%
2021 48.70 million +4.2%
2022 50.24 million +3.2%
2023 52.29 million +4.1%
2024 52.63 million +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 20.50 million 20.10 million 20.90 million 2
2000s 29.48 million 22.03 million 36.47 million 10
2010s 42.27 million 38.97 million 44.97 million 10
2020s 50.12 million 46.75 million 52.63 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: World

  1. 2 United States 6.00 million compare
  2. 3 Russia 3.26 million compare
  3. 4 Turkey 2.65 million compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 936,547 compare
  5. 6 Japan 721,558 compare
  6. 7 Colombia 698,105 compare
  7. 8 Vietnam 633,311 compare

See the full ranking of 367 places →

More education data for UNICEF: World

All data for UNICEF: World →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World was 52.63 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: World?
The highest recorded value was 52.63 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: World?
The lowest recorded value was 20.10 million in 1998.
How does UNICEF: World rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
UNICEF: World ranks 5th out of 218 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: World?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UNICEF: World 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/unicef-world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/unicef-world/">Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: World</a> — Statizoid

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