Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 85.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka is 85.7%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka peaked at 95.2% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 85.7%, in 2023.
Sri Lanka ranks 44th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 95.2% | — |
| 2013 | 93.5% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 93.4% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 94.2% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 91.6% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 92.3% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 91.2% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 87.9% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 88.1% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 86.2% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 85.7% | -0.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 85.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 72.0%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 85.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 69.8%, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 92.4% | 87.9% | 95.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 85.7% | 88.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
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 85.7% 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 95.2% in 2012.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.7% in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 44th out of 155 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 down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release