Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America

United States of America: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions was 26.3% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
26.3%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
66th
of 138 countries
All-time high
29.1%
in 1999
All-time low
23.2%
in 2002
Years of data
19
1999–2018

Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America, 1999–2018

01020301999200820181999: 29.1 %2000: 26.3 %2001: 26 %2002: 23.2 %2003: 23.2 %2004: 23.9 %2006: 25.5 %2007: 25.8 %2008: 26.1 %2009: 26.9 %2010: 27.5 %2011: 27.9 %2012: 28 %2013: 27.8 %2014: 27.5 %2015: 27.3 %2016: 26.9 %2017: 26.4 %2018: 26.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

United States of America recorded 26.3% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in 2018.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America peaked at 29.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 23.2%, in 2002.

That places United States of America 66th out of 138 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions (%) in United States of America, 1999 to 2018.
Year % Change
1999 29.1%
2000 26.3% -9.4%
2001 26.0% -1.5%
2002 23.2% -10.7%
2003 23.2% +0.2%
2004 23.9% +3.0%
2006 25.5% +6.7%
2007 25.8% +1.0%
2008 26.1% +1.1%
2009 26.9% +3.0%
2010 27.5% +2.4%
2011 27.9% +1.6%
2012 28.0% +0.3%
2013 27.8% -0.7%
2014 27.5% -1.1%
2015 27.3% -0.7%
2016 26.9% -1.8%
2017 26.4% -1.5%
2018 26.3% -0.7%

United States of America compared with similar countries

  • United States of America's 26.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 1.4× the median. (56 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 29.1% 29.1% 29.1% 1
2000s 25.2% 23.2% 26.9% 9
2010s 27.3% 26.3% 28.0% 9

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 63 Madagascar 27.4% compare
  2. 64 Kuwait 27.0% compare
  3. 65 Poland 26.9% compare
  4. 67 Singapore 26.0% compare
  5. 68 Argentina 24.2% compare
  6. 69 Qatar 23.7% compare

See the full ranking of 138 places →

More education data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America?
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America was 26.3% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 1999.
What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 23.2% in 2002.
How does United States of America rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions?
United States of America ranks 66th out of 138 countries with data for 2018.
Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-enrolment-in-tertiary-education-in-private-institutions-percent/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in private institutions (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
138 places, 1,828 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students in tertiary education enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body (e.g., non-governmental organisation, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise), expressed as a percentage of total number of students enrolled in tertiary education.