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

World: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes was 3.13 million number in 2019. β–² Rising

Latest (2019)
3.13 million number
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
1st
of 44 groups
All-time high
3.13 million number
in 2019
All-time low
1.60 million number
in 1998
Years of data
22
1998–2019

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

01.0M2.0M3.0M1998200820191998: 1.6M number1999: 1.6M number2000: 1.6M number2001: 1.7M number2002: 1.8M number2003: 2.0M number2004: 2.2M number2005: 2.2M number2006: 2.3M number2007: 2.3M number2008: 2.4M number2009: 2.5M number2010: 2.6M number2011: 2.7M number2012: 2.7M number2013: 2.7M number2014: 2.8M number2015: 2.9M number2016: 3.0M number2017: 3.0M number2018: 3.1M number2019: 3.1M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in World stood at 3.13 million number. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 26.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in World peaked at 3.13 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.60 million number, in 1998.

That places World 1st out of 44 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.60 million number 1.60 million number 1.60 million number 2
2000s 2.09 million number 1.63 million number 2.48 million number 10
2010s 2.86 million number 2.61 million number 3.13 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 China 410,153 number compare
  2. 2 United States 354,198 number compare
  3. 3 Germany 200,400 number compare
  4. 4 India 173,050 number compare

See the full ranking of 178 places β†’

More education data for World

All data for World β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in World?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in World was 3.13 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 3.13 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 1.60 million number in 1998.
How does World rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes?
World ranks 1st out of 44 groups with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this 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.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number/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 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number/world/">Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in World</a> β€” Statizoid

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.