today's reportWhich includes new data from 146 countries, showing that the number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide is expected to increase from approximately 100 million in 2000 to 269 million in 2024, representing 43% of the population at the age of attending higher education (typically 18–24 years).
However, this growth masks serious regional disparities, with 80% of youth in Western Europe and North America enrolled in higher education, 59% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 37% in the Arab States region, 30% in South and West Asia, and 9% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Private institutions continue to account for one-third of global enrolments, with the largest share in Latin America and the Caribbean (49% in 2023). In countries such as Brazil, Chile, Japan and the Republic of Korea, 4 out of every 5 students attend a private higher education institution. The report shows that only a third of countries legally mandate tuition-free public higher education.
Completion rates have not increased at the same pace as enrolment, with the global gross graduation ratio rising from only 22% in 2013 to 27% in 2024.
International mobility and increased gender equality
The number of students going abroad for higher education has more than tripled over the past two decades, from 2.1 million in 2000 to about 7.3 million in 2023. Yet mobility benefits only 3% of the global group, with significant regional disparities.
Seven countries (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, Russian Federation, and France) continue to host half of all international students. Countries like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are becoming increasingly popular – with at least a five-fold increase in mobility numbers over the past decade, they are now well behind France.
International students are increasingly choosing to study within their own region: in Latin America and the Caribbean, the share of inter-regional mobility increased from 24% to 43% between 2000-2022, with Argentina in the top position. Internationally mobile students from Arab states are increasingly concentrated in the Gulf countries and Jordan, marking a change from the dominance of Western Europe and North America a decade ago.
UNESCO plays a major role in promoting international student mobility through its Global Conference on Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education and its regional counterpart, which has already been ratified by 93 countries. The Convention not only establishes fair and transparent recognition of qualifications, but also sets universal standards for quality assurance to ensure trust and confidence in higher education qualifications throughout the world.
Women now outnumber men in higher education: Globally, there were 114 women enrolled in higher education for every 100 men in 2024. Gender equality has been achieved in all regions except Sub-Saharan Africa. Central and Southern Asia has made strong progress, from enrollment of 68 women per 100 men in 2000 to achieving gender parity in 2023. Women are underrepresented at the doctoral level and hold only one-quarter of senior leadership roles in academia.
Equity, quality and financing remain serious challenges
Despite some progress, only a third of countries have implemented programs to support access to higher education for underrepresented groups. Countries such as Chile, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, Philippines and South Africa have reduced or eliminated higher education fees for targeted groups.
Despite an increase in enrollment from 1% in 2019 to 9 times by 2025, refugees still face major barriers to higher education. A key barrier is the identification of missing or unverified qualifications, particularly in the Global South.
UNESCO works to address this through its qualifying passportA tool to identify the educational, vocational and professional qualifications of refugees and forcibly displaced people. The UNESCO Qualification Passport is currently being implemented in Iraq, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe with plans for further expansion, and has already been distributed to hundreds of successful applicants.
Government investment in higher education globally averages around 0.8% of GDP, while fiscal tightening in many contexts is placing increasing pressure on higher education institutions, creating a need for innovative financing models to deliver quality, inclusive higher education.
Finally, the report notes that the rapid expansion of student numbers in recent decades has placed pressure on higher education systems, highlighting the need to ensure quality standards of education, and take measures to increase access to higher education for disadvantaged groups while securing equitable and sustainable financing. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are also reshaping teaching and learning, yet only 1 in every 5 universities had a formal artificial intelligence policy in 2025.