Gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France
France: Gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes was 39.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France, 2006–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France stood at 39.3%. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of down 20.3% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France peaked at 49.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 39.3%, in 2021.
That places France 22nd out of 44 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 40.5% | — |
| 2007 | 39.9% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 39.4% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 40.1% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 40.4% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 44.2% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 47.3% | +7.0% |
| 2014 | 47.7% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 43.3% | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 46.4% | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 45.4% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 45.9% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 48.0% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 49.3% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 39.3% | -20.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.0% | 39.4% | 40.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 45.0% | 40.4% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.3% | 39.3% | 49.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0602 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France?
- Gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in France was 39.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 49.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.3% in 2021.
- How does France rank for gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes?
- France ranks 22nd out of 44 countries with data for 2021.
- Is gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Gross attendance ratio for tertiary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release