Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 36.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka stood at 36.3%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka peaked at 42.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 36.3%, in 2023.
That places Sri Lanka 132nd out of 149 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 37.4% | — |
| 2014 | 42.1% | +12.5% |
| 2015 | 37.9% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 37.2% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 38.2% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 38.8% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 36.4% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 36.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 36.3% | -3.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 36.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41.2%, 88% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 36.3% is below the median for South Asia, which is 49.2%, 74% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 38.3% | 36.4% | 42.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 36.8% | 36.3% | 37.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 129 Botswana 37.5% compare
- 130 South Africa 37.3% compare
- 131 Seychelles 36.7% compare
- 133 Palestine, State of 36.2% compare
- 134 Argentina 36.0% compare
- 135 Bosnia and Herzegovina 35.9% 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 36.3% 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 42.1% in 2014.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.3% in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 132nd 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 down 3.0%. 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, male (%). 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