Countries by Tertiary Education Enrollment Rate 2025
Source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Key Findings
🏆
South Korea leads in Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) with 94 in 2025.
📊
Average Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) in 2025: 84.63 · median: 84.
↔️
Gap in 2025: South Korea is 1.2× larger than Canada.
About This Dataset
Countries by Tertiary Education Enrollment Rate 2025
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.
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
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 use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
- Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2025.
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
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