Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka stood at 1.4%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2014.
That places Sri Lanka 18th out of 149 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1.4% | — |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 15 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.4% compare
- 16 Argentina 1.4% compare
- 17 Palestine, State of 1.4% compare
- 19 Seychelles 1.4% compare
- 20 South Africa 1.4% compare
- 21 Botswana 1.4% compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka was 1.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2014.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 18th out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release