Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal
Nepal: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 41.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal is 41.4%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and down 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal peaked at 79.8% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 41.4%, in 2024.
That places Nepal 101st out of 149 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 76.1% | — |
| 2002 | 79.8% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 75.3% | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 69.2% | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 67.6% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 67.4% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 67.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 68.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 68.6% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 46.8% | -25.0% |
| 2017 | 45.3% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 44.5% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 45.4% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 46.9% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 45.4% | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 46.5% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 42.9% | -7.6% |
| 2024 | 41.4% | -3.5% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 41.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49.7%, 83% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 41.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 49.2%, 84% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.9% | 67.4% | 79.8% | 7 |
| 2010s | 54.5% | 44.5% | 68.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 41.4% | 46.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Nepal was 41.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 79.8% in 2002.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.4% in 2024.
- How does Nepal rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Nepal ranks 101st out of 149 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release