Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Italy
Italy: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 77.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Italy, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Italy recorded 77.6% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Italy peaked at 93.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 77.6%, in 2023.
That places Italy 72nd out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 87.6% | — |
| 2000 | 93.6% | +6.9% |
| 2001 | 92.9% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 93.4% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 93.5% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 93.6% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 93.6% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 92.8% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 92.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 93.0% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 92.4% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 91.5% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 90.4% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 90.6% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 90.9% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 90.3% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 89.7% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 89.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 87.9% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 86.4% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 84.8% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 82.0% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 81.4% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 79.4% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 77.6% | -2.3% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 77.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 96% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Italy's 77.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.7%, 94% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 87.6% | 87.6% | 87.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 93.1% | 92.3% | 93.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.2% | 84.8% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.1% | 77.6% | 82.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Italy?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Italy was 77.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 93.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.6% in 2023.
- How does Italy rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Italy ranks 72nd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release