Tertiary education participation in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Tertiary education participation was 2,496 in 2012. ▲ Rising

Latest (2012)
2,496
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
3rd
of 44 countries
All-time high
2,496
in 2012
All-time low
1,938
in 1998
Years of data
15
1998–2012

Tertiary education participation in United Kingdom, 1998–2012

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2.5k1998200520121998: 1.9k1999: 2.1k2000: 2.0k2001: 2.1k2002: 2.2k2003: 2.3k2004: 2.2k2005: 2.3k2006: 2.3k2007: 2.4k2008: 2.3k2009: 2.4k2010: 2.5k2011: 2.5k2012: 2.5k

Source: Eurostat.

Analysis

The most recent figure for tertiary education participation in United Kingdom is 2,496, measured in 2012. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tertiary education participation in United Kingdom peaked at 2,496 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1,938, in 1998.

United Kingdom ranks 3rd of 44 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Tertiary education participation in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Tertiary education participation (1998-2012) in United Kingdom, 1998 to 2012.
Year Value Change
1998 1,938
1999 2,081 +7.4%
2000 2,024 -2.7%
2001 2,067 +2.1%
2002 2,241 +8.4%
2003 2,288 +2.1%
2004 2,247 -1.8%
2005 2,288 +1.8%
2006 2,336 +2.1%
2007 2,363 +1.1%
2008 2,330 -1.4%
2009 2,415 +3.7%
2010 2,479 +2.6%
2011 2,492 +0.5%
2012 2,496 +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,010 1,938 2,081 2
2000s 2,260 2,024 2,415 10
2010s 2,489 2,479 2,496 3

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 1 Türkiye 4,354 compare
  2. 2 Germany 2,940 compare
  3. 3 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2,496 compare
  4. 5 France 2,296 compare
  5. 6 Poland 2,007 compare
  6. 6 Poland 2,007 compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More education data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is tertiary education participation in United Kingdom?
Tertiary education participation in United Kingdom was 2,496 in 2012, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest tertiary education participation recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 2,496 in 2012.
What is the lowest tertiary education participation recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 1,938 in 1998.
How does United Kingdom rank for tertiary education participation?
United Kingdom ranks 3rd out of 44 countries with data for 2012.
Is tertiary education participation rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Tertiary education participation (1998-2012). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Tertiary education participation in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/tertiary-education-participation-1998-2012/united-kingdom-2/

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About this data

Indicator
Tertiary education participation (1998-2012)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
46 places, 646 data points, 1998–2012
Last refreshed