Participation in tertiary education (ISCED 1997) by sex, level and field of education (1998-2012) by country

Countries reporting
45
Highest
20,994 Thousand
United States
Lowest
0.96 Thousand
Liechtenstein
Median
308.92 Thousand
Years covered
10
2003–2012
Data points
465

What the numbers show

Participation in tertiary education (ISCED 1997) by sex, level and field of education (1998-2012) is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 20,994 Thousand in United States; the lowest is 0.96 Thousand in Liechtenstein.

The median across all reporting countries is 308.92 Thousand, and the mean is 1,715 Thousand.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 21,869.

Over the past decade 40 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Türkiye (up 246.4%), and the largest decrease in Latvia (down 18.4%).

Participation in tertiary education (ISCED 1997) by sex, level and: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 United States 20,994 Thousand 2012 up 26.4% rising
1 United States of America 20,994 Thousand 2012 up 26.4% rising
3 Türkiye 4,354 Thousand 2012 up 246.4% rising
4 Japan 3,885 Thousand 2012 down 2.5% falling
5 Germany 2,939 Thousand 2012 up 31.1% rising
6 United Kingdom 2,496 Thousand 2012 up 9.1% rising
6 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2,496 Thousand 2012 up 9.1% rising
8 France 2,296 Thousand 2012 up 4.3% rising
9 Poland 2,007 Thousand 2012 up 1.2% flat
9 Poland 2,007 Thousand 2012 up 1.2% flat
11 Spain 1,966 Thousand 2012 up 6.8% rising
12 Italy 1,926 Thousand 2012 up 0.7% flat
13 Netherlands 793.68 Thousand 2012 up 50.7% rising
13 Netherlands 793.68 Thousand 2012 up 50.7% rising
15 Romania 705.33 Thousand 2012 up 9.5% rising
16 Greece 663.7 Thousand 2012 up 11.2% rising
17 Belgium 477.71 Thousand 2012 up 27.5% rising
18 Sweden 453.33 Thousand 2012 up 9.3% rising
19 Czechia 440.23 Thousand 2012 up 53.4% rising
20 Portugal 390.27 Thousand 2012 down 2.6% flat
21 Hungary 380.76 Thousand 2012 down 2.5% falling
22 Austria 376.5 Thousand 2012 up 63.8% rising
23 Finland 308.92 Thousand 2012 up 5.9% flat
24 Bulgaria 285 Thousand 2012 up 23.6% rising
25 Denmark 275.01 Thousand 2012 up 36.3% rising
26 Switzerland 269.57 Thousand 2012 up 45.0% rising
27 Norway 238.22 Thousand 2012 up 12.2% rising
28 Slovakia 221.23 Thousand 2012 up 39.9% rising
28 Slovakia 221.23 Thousand 2012 up 39.9% rising
30 Ireland 192.65 Thousand 2012 up 6.1% rising
31 Lithuania 175.07 Thousand 2012 up 4.5% flat
31 Lithuania 175.07 Thousand 2012 up 4.5% flat
33 Croatia 157.29 Thousand 2012 up 29.2% rising
33 Croatia 157.29 Thousand 2012 up 29.2% rising
35 Slovenia 104 Thousand 2012 up 2.5% flat
35 Slovenia 104 Thousand 2012 up 2.5% flat
37 Latvia 97.04 Thousand 2012 down 18.4% falling
37 Latvia 97.04 Thousand 2012 down 18.4% falling
39 Estonia 67.61 Thousand 2012 up 6.3% rising
39 Estonia 67.61 Thousand 2012 up 6.3% rising
41 North Macedonia 63.32 Thousand 2012 up 38.8% rising
42 Cyprus 31.77 Thousand 2012 up 73.9% rising
43 Iceland 19.1 Thousand 2012 up 43.1% rising
44 Malta 12.2 Thousand 2012 up 36.4% rising
45 Liechtenstein 0.96 Thousand 2012 up 118.2% rising

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Participation in tertiary education (ISCED 1997) by sex, level and by country. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/participation-in-tertiary-education-isced-1997-by-sex-level-and-field-of-education-1998/

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About this data

Indicator
Participation in tertiary education (ISCED 1997) by sex, level and field of education (1998-2012)
Unit
Thousand
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 465 data points, 2003–2012
Last refreshed