Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 0.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia is 0.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is down 12.3% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2024.
Saudi Arabia ranks 120th of 149 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.2% | — |
| 2001 | 1.2% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -7.0% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -7.8% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -12.3% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.2%, 71% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.3%, 69% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 117 Madagascar 0.9% compare
- 118 Cambodia 0.9% compare
- 119 San Marino 0.9% compare
- 121 Bangladesh 0.9% compare
- 122 Cameroon 0.9% compare
- 123 Côte d'Ivoire 0.8% compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Saudi Arabia was 0.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2024.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 120th out of 149 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release