Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in United States
United States: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 42.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in United States, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in United States stood at 42.9%.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in United States peaked at 44.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 42.1%, in 2021.
United States ranks 87th 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 United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 44.3% | — |
| 2014 | 44.6% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 44.7% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 44.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 44.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 44.4% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 43.9% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 43.5% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 42.1% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 42.9% | +1.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 42.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 43.0%, 100% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 44.5% | 43.9% | 44.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 42.7% | 42.1% | 43.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in United States?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in United States was 42.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 44.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.1% in 2021.
- How does United States rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- United States ranks 87th out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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