Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 63.7% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 63.7% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka peaked at 63.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 57.9%, in 2014.
Sri Lanka ranks 18th of 149 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 62.6% | — |
| 2014 | 57.9% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 62.1% | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 62.8% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 61.8% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 61.2% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 63.6% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 63.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 62.4% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 63.7% | +2.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 63.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.8%, 1.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 63.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 50.8%, 1.3× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 61.7% | 57.9% | 63.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 63.2% | 62.4% | 63.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 15 Bosnia and Herzegovina 64.1% compare
- 16 Argentina 64.0% compare
- 17 Palestine, State of 63.8% compare
- 19 Seychelles 63.3% compare
- 20 South Africa 62.7% compare
- 21 Botswana 62.5% 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 63.7% 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 63.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.9% 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 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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