Students enrolled in tertiary education by education level, programme orientation, sex, type of institution and intensity of participation by country
Countries reporting
46
Highest
7.08 million Number
Türkiye
Lowest
968 Number
Liechtenstein
Median
287,374 Number
Years covered
13
2012–2024
Data points
545
What the numbers show
Students enrolled in tertiary education by education level, programme orientation, sex, type of institution and intensity of participation is currently reported for 46 countries. The highest value is 7.08 million Number in Türkiye; the lowest is 968 Number in Liechtenstein.
The median across all reporting countries is 287,374 Number, and the mean is 770,185 Number.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7,315.
Over the past decade 24 countries rose and 22 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 76.7%), and the largest decrease in Lithuania (down 32.1%).
Students enrolled in tertiary education by education level, programme: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Türkiye | 7.08 million Number | 2024 | up 29.4% | rising |
| 2 | Germany | 3.27 million Number | 2024 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 3 | France | 2.88 million Number | 2024 | up 20.5% | rising |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 2.62 million Number | 2019 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 2.62 million Number | 2019 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 6 | Spain | 2.44 million Number | 2024 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 7 | Italy | 2.31 million Number | 2024 | up 24.7% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 1.40 million Number | 2024 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 8 | Poland | 1.40 million Number | 2024 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 10 | Netherlands | 969,491 Number | 2024 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | 969,491 Number | 2024 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 12 | Greece | 885,486 Number | 2024 | up 30.7% | rising |
| 13 | Belgium | 551,141 Number | 2024 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 14 | Romania | 544,623 Number | 2024 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 15 | Sweden | 494,296 Number | 2024 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 16 | Austria | 442,235 Number | 2024 | up 5.0% | flat |
| 17 | Portugal | 430,226 Number | 2024 | up 22.7% | rising |
| 18 | Czechia | 343,827 Number | 2024 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 19 | Finland | 338,808 Number | 2024 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 20 | Switzerland | 337,303 Number | 2024 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 21 | Norway | 315,674 Number | 2024 | up 19.5% | rising |
| 22 | Hungary | 310,414 Number | 2024 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 23 | Denmark | 290,902 Number | 2024 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 24 | Ireland | 283,845 Number | 2024 | up 39.2% | rising |
| 25 | Serbia | 249,768 Number | 2024 | up 2.8% | flat |
| 26 | Bulgaria | 195,697 Number | 2024 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 27 | Croatia | 155,387 Number | 2024 | down 6.4% | flat |
| 27 | Croatia | 155,387 Number | 2024 | down 6.4% | flat |
| 29 | Slovakia | 141,119 Number | 2024 | down 28.7% | falling |
| 29 | Slovakia | 141,119 Number | 2024 | down 28.7% | falling |
| 31 | Lithuania | 100,744 Number | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 31 | Lithuania | 100,744 Number | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 33 | Slovenia | 80,648 Number | 2024 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 33 | Slovenia | 80,648 Number | 2024 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 35 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 75,016 Number | 2024 | down 21.2% | falling |
| 36 | Latvia | 74,017 Number | 2024 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 36 | Latvia | 74,017 Number | 2024 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 38 | Cyprus | 57,889 Number | 2024 | up 71.9% | rising |
| 39 | North Macedonia | 56,761 Number | 2024 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 40 | Estonia | 44,377 Number | 2024 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 40 | Estonia | 44,377 Number | 2024 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 42 | Malta | 22,276 Number | 2024 | up 76.7% | rising |
| 43 | Iceland | 20,884 Number | 2024 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 44 | Montenegro | 20,229 Number | 2024 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 45 | Luxembourg | 8,364 Number | 2024 | up 23.2% | rising |
| 46 | Liechtenstein | 968 Number | 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 Number
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 19.07 million Number