Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World

MDG: World: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes was 4.35 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
4.35 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
Rank
1st
of 216 groups
All-time high
4.35 million
in 2024
All-time low
1.68 million
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World, 1998–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1998201120241998: 1.7M1999: 1.7M2000: 1.7M2001: 1.8M2002: 1.9M2003: 2.1M2004: 2.2M2005: 2.3M2006: 2.3M2007: 2.4M2008: 2.5M2009: 2.5M2010: 2.6M2011: 2.7M2012: 2.7M2013: 2.8M2014: 2.8M2015: 2.9M2016: 3.0M2017: 3.1M2018: 3.2M2019: 3.3M2020: 3.4M2021: 3.7M2022: 3.8M2023: 4.3M2024: 4.4M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World is 4.35 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 53.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World peaked at 4.35 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.68 million, in 1999.

MDG: World ranks 1st of 216 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number) in MDG: World, 1998 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1998 1.68 million
1999 1.68 million -0.1%
2000 1.72 million +2.7%
2001 1.80 million +4.3%
2002 1.89 million +5.2%
2003 2.07 million +9.5%
2004 2.22 million +7.3%
2005 2.27 million +2.1%
2006 2.35 million +3.3%
2007 2.37 million +1.0%
2008 2.45 million +3.5%
2009 2.54 million +3.7%
2010 2.64 million +3.8%
2011 2.67 million +1.1%
2012 2.70 million +1.0%
2013 2.76 million +2.5%
2014 2.83 million +2.4%
2015 2.91 million +2.7%
2016 3.05 million +4.8%
2017 3.08 million +1.0%
2018 3.18 million +3.3%
2019 3.29 million +3.4%
2020 3.41 million +3.9%
2021 3.66 million +7.2%
2022 3.76 million +2.7%
2023 4.27 million +13.6%
2024 4.35 million +2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.68 million 1.68 million 1.68 million 2
2000s 2.17 million 1.72 million 2.54 million 10
2010s 2.91 million 2.64 million 3.29 million 10
2020s 3.89 million 3.41 million 4.35 million 5

Countries ranked near MDG: World

  1. 1 United States of America 695,573 compare
  2. 2 China 639,280 compare
  3. 3 India 235,616 compare
  4. 4 Russian Federation 205,962 compare

See the full ranking of 359 places →

More education data for MDG: World

All data for MDG: World →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World was 4.35 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
The highest recorded value was 4.35 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
The lowest recorded value was 1.68 million in 1999.
How does MDG: World rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes?
MDG: World ranks 1st out of 216 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: World?
Over the last ten years it is up 53.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this MDG: World data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in MDG: World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/mdg-world/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
359 places, 7,935 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release