Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy
Italy: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 17.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy stood at 17.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy peaked at 25.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 15.1%, in 2015.
That places Italy 105th out of 122 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 24.7% | — |
| 1999 | 25.4% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 24.2% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 20.8% | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 20.0% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 18.4% | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 16.5% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 16.2% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 16.6% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 16.4% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 17.2% | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | -12.4% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | +14.2% |
| 2018 | 15.9% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 15.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 16.2% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 16.5% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 17.3% | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.1% | 24.7% | 25.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 16.2% | 25.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 16.4% | 15.1% | 17.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 15.3% | 17.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Italy was 17.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.1% in 2015.
- How does Italy rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Italy ranks 105th out of 122 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release