School enrollment, tertiary in North America
North America: School enrollment, tertiary was 79.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, tertiary in North America, 1999–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
In 2024, school enrollment, tertiary in North America stood at 79.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, tertiary in North America peaked at 87.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 66.9%, in 2000.
North America ranks 6th of 43 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
School enrollment, tertiary in North America, year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 69.6% | — |
| 2000 | 66.9% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 71.5% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 76.0% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 77.6% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 79.2% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 78.8% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 81.1% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 82.1% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 83.0% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 85.3% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 85.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 85.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 86.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 86.5% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 86.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 86.4% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 86.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 86.4% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 86.3% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 84.4% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 79.3% | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 82.2% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 79.0% | -3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.6% | 69.6% | 69.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 78.2% | 66.9% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.3% | 85.4% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.3% | 79.0% | 86.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near North America
More education data for North America
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.04 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 16.9% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 96.8% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 2.04 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0053 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.2% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 97.4% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.5155 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, tertiary in North America?
- School enrollment, tertiary in North America was 79.0% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, tertiary recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, tertiary recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.9% in 2000.
- How does North America rank for school enrollment, tertiary?
- North America ranks 6th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, tertiary rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, tertiary (% gross). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Tertiary education, whether or not to an advanced research qualification, normally requires, as a minimum condition of admission, the successful completion of education at the secondary level.