Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 … tertiary 8 both sexes in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 … tertiary 8 both sexes was 122,567 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in United Kingdom, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in United Kingdom is 122,567, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.9% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in United Kingdom peaked at 122,567 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 69,617, in 1998.
That places United Kingdom 9th out of 143 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 … tertiary 8 both sexes in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 69,617 | — |
| 1999 | 81,951 | +17.7% |
| 2000 | 74,242 | -9.4% |
| 2001 | 75,334 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 85,073 | +12.9% |
| 2003 | 85,061 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 89,378 | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 91,607 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 94,180 | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 99,416 | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 80,906 | -18.6% |
| 2009 | 81,693 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 85,179 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 90,028 | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 94,949 | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 109,058 | +14.9% |
| 2014 | 111,395 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 112,800 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 113,003 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 112,289 | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 111,257 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 112,545 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 110,164 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 113,877 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 112,571 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 122,567 | +8.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 122,567 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,720, 14.1× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 122,567 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6,008, 20.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75,784 | 69,617 | 81,951 | 2 |
| 2000s | 85,689 | 74,242 | 99,416 | 10 |
| 2010s | 105,250 | 85,179 | 113,003 | 10 |
| 2020s | 114,795 | 110,164 | 122,567 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in United Kingdom?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in United Kingdom was 122,567 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 122,567 in 2023.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 69,617 in 1998.
- How does United Kingdom rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 143 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release