Countries by Tertiary Education Enrollment Rate 2025

About This Dataset

Countries ranked by gross tertiary education enrollment rate as a percentage of the relevant age group in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics data. South Korea consistently leads global tertiary education enrollment rates — with over 94% of the college-age population enrolled in universities, colleges, or vocational higher education programmes, a reflection of an intensely education-driven culture in which university credentials are considered near-mandatory for professional employment and social mobility. This extraordinary enrollment rate has produced one of the world's most highly educated workforces but has also generated significant debate within Korea about qualification inflation, graduate unemployment, and the psychological costs of an examination system that subjects students to years of extreme academic pressure from early childhood.

Analysis

South Korea (94), Greece (88) and United States (87) take the top three in Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) in 2025. Values run from 94 at the top to 78 at the bottom, a spread of 16. First and second are separated by 6, so the leader sits inside the field rather than apart from it. Below the top two the field is tightly packed: the remaining 6 run from 87 down to 78.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Key Findings

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South Korea leads in Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) with 94 in 2025.

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Average Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) in 2025: 85 · median: 84.

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Gap in 2025: South Korea is 1.2× larger than Canada.

Countries by Tertiary Education Enrollment Rate 2025

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Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

South Korea

Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) · 2025

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Metrics

Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%)

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Period

2025

Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Coverage: 8 entities · 2025 · 8 observations
Measure: Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%)
Last updated: 6 September 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values are shown as reported by the source. Nothing is rescaled, rebased or converted — the only changes are thousand separators and decimals shown to two places.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2025.