Students enrolled in tertiary education by education level, programme orientation, sex and age by country
Countries reporting
48
Highest
7.08 million
Türkiye
Lowest
968
Liechtenstein
Median
268,346
Years covered
14
2012–2025
Data points
584
What the numbers show
Students enrolled in tertiary education by education level, programme orientation, sex and age is currently reported for 48 countries. The highest value is 7.08 million in Türkiye; the lowest is 968 in Liechtenstein.
The median across all reporting countries is 268,346, and the mean is 748,887.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7,315.
Over the past decade 26 countries rose and 22 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 76.7%), and the largest decrease in Slovakia (down 32.7%).
Students enrolled in tertiary education by education level … age: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Türkiye | 7.08 million | 2024 | up 29.4% | rising |
| 2 | Germany | 3.27 million | 2025 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 3 | France | 2.88 million | 2024 | up 20.5% | rising |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 2.62 million | 2019 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 2.62 million | 2019 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 6 | Spain | 2.55 million | 2025 | up 29.7% | rising |
| 7 | Italy | 2.31 million | 2024 | up 24.7% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 1.44 million | 2025 | down 13.5% | falling |
| 9 | Poland | 1.40 million | 2024 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 10 | Netherlands | 969,491 | 2024 | up 38.1% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | 969,491 | 2024 | up 38.1% | rising |
| 12 | Greece | 885,486 | 2024 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 13 | Romania | 568,608 | 2025 | up 5.0% | flat |
| 14 | Belgium | 551,141 | 2024 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 15 | Sweden | 511,255 | 2025 | up 19.3% | rising |
| 16 | Austria | 444,229 | 2025 | up 4.3% | flat |
| 17 | Portugal | 430,226 | 2024 | up 22.7% | rising |
| 18 | Czechia | 343,827 | 2024 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 19 | Finland | 342,499 | 2025 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 20 | Switzerland | 337,303 | 2024 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 21 | Norway | 315,674 | 2024 | up 19.5% | rising |
| 22 | Hungary | 310,414 | 2024 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 23 | Denmark | 294,677 | 2025 | down 6.1% | flat |
| 24 | Ireland | 286,923 | 2024 | up 40.7% | rising |
| 25 | Serbia | 249,768 | 2024 | up 2.8% | flat |
| 25 | Serbia | 249,768 | 2024 | up 2.8% | flat |
| 27 | Bulgaria | 208,107 | 2025 | down 25.4% | falling |
| 28 | Croatia | 155,387 | 2024 | down 6.4% | flat |
| 28 | Croatia | 155,387 | 2024 | down 6.4% | flat |
| 30 | Slovakia | 141,119 | 2024 | down 28.7% | falling |
| 30 | Slovakia | 141,119 | 2024 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 32 | Lithuania | 100,745 | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 32 | Lithuania | 100,745 | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 34 | Slovenia | 82,388 | 2025 | down 3.8% | falling |
| 35 | Slovenia | 80,648 | 2024 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 36 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 75,016 | 2024 | down 21.2% | falling |
| 37 | Latvia | 74,017 | 2024 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 37 | Latvia | 74,017 | 2024 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 39 | Cyprus | 57,889 | 2024 | up 71.9% | rising |
| 40 | North Macedonia | 56,761 | 2024 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 40 | North Macedonia | 56,761 | 2024 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 42 | Estonia | 45,217 | 2025 | down 18.1% | falling |
| 43 | Estonia | 44,377 | 2024 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 44 | Malta | 22,276 | 2024 | up 76.7% | rising |
| 45 | Iceland | 20,884 | 2024 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 46 | Montenegro | 20,229 | 2024 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 47 | Luxembourg | 9,059 | 2025 | up 31.4% | rising |
| 48 | Liechtenstein | 968 | 2022 | up 14.6% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union - 28 countries (2013-2020) 19.48 million
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 19.07 million