Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes was 10,541 number in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
10,541 number
Change on year
up 18.7%
World rank
45th
of 133 countries
All-time high
10,541 number
in 2019
All-time low
1,176 number
in 1998
Years of data
22
1998–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, 1998–2019

2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k1998200820191998: 1.2k number1999: 1.5k number2000: 1.3k number2001: 1.8k number2002: 1.6k number2003: 2.0k number2004: 1.8k number2005: 2.0k number2006: 2.4k number2007: 2.3k number2008: 2.3k number2009: 2.3k number2010: 2.6k number2011: 4.8k number2012: 5.2k number2013: 5.7k number2014: 5.6k number2015: 7.2k number2016: 7.6k number2017: 7.8k number2018: 8.9k number2019: 10.5k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 10,541 number for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is up 18.7% on the previous year and up 349.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Saudi Arabia peaked at 10,541 number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1,176 number, in 1998.

Saudi Arabia ranks 45th of 133 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number) in Saudi Arabia, 1998 to 2019.
Year number Change
1998 1,176 number
1999 1,493 number +27.0%
2000 1,298 number -13.1%
2001 1,814 number +39.8%
2002 1,561 number -13.9%
2003 2,001 number +28.2%
2004 1,806 number -9.7%
2005 2,032 number +12.5%
2006 2,410 number +18.6%
2007 2,298 number -4.6%
2008 2,270 number -1.2%
2009 2,343 number +3.2%
2010 2,565 number +9.5%
2011 4,784 number +86.5%
2012 5,185 number +8.4%
2013 5,652 number +9.0%
2014 5,607 number -0.8%
2015 7,164 number +27.8%
2016 7,584 number +5.9%
2017 7,824 number +3.2%
2018 8,881 number +13.5%
2019 10,541 number +18.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,334 number 1,176 number 1,493 number 2
2000s 1,983 number 1,298 number 2,410 number 10
2010s 6,579 number 2,565 number 10,541 number 10

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 42 Israel 11,571 number compare
  2. 43 Serbia 11,407 number compare
  3. 44 Hong Kong, China 10,697 number compare
  4. 46 Nigeria 10,383 number compare
  5. 47 Kenya 10,215 number compare
  6. 48 New Zealand 9,854 number compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More education data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Saudi Arabia?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Saudi Arabia was 10,541 number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 10,541 number in 2019.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 1,176 number in 1998.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes?
Saudi Arabia ranks 45th out of 133 countries with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 349.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
178 places, 2,921 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private tertiary education institutions in programmes on the doctoral or equivalent (ISCED 8) level.