Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes was 80.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 80.4% for gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 41.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 80.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 56.4%, in 2015.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 28th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 57.4% | — |
| 2001 | 57.5% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 61.1% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 61.5% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 59.5% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 59.3% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 59.2% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 58.8% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 57.4% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 59.1% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 59.8% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 59.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 59.2% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 56.8% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 56.5% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 56.4% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 58.1% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 59.6% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 61.1% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 65.5% | +7.2% |
| 2020 | 69.4% | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 76.8% | +10.6% |
| 2022 | 79.8% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 80.4% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 59.1% | 57.4% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.2% | 56.4% | 65.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.6% | 69.4% | 80.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 80.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 80.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.4% in 2015.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 28th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release