Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in India
India: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 49.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in India, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in India stood at 49.7%.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in India peaked at 53.7% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 49.6%, in 2020.
India ranks 44th of 149 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 India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 53.7% | — |
| 2014 | 52.1% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 51.9% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 51.5% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 51.2% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 51.1% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 50.0% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 49.6% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 49.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 50.4% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 49.7% | -1.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 49.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49.7%, 100% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- India's 49.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 49.2%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 51.6% | 50.0% | 53.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 49.8% | 49.6% | 50.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 41 Iran, Islamic Republic of 49.9% compare
- 42 Turkmenistan 49.7% compare
- 43 Pakistan 49.7% compare
- 45 Senegal 49.6% compare
- 46 Uzbekistan 49.4% compare
- 47 Türkiye 49.4% compare
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in India?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in India was 49.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 53.7% in 2013.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.6% in 2020.
- How does India rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- India ranks 44th out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, male (%). 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