Countries in Europe by university enrolment
Students in universities and other tertiary education, as a share of the people of the five years after secondary school. Older students count too, so it can pass 100%. 43 countries in Europe, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2024
Median country
76.5%
half above, half below| # | Country | % gross | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Greece | 165.1% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 2 |  Finland | 110.3% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 3 |  Norway | 95.5% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 4 |  Spain | 93.8% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 5 |  Austria | 92.6% | 2024 | Western Europe |
| 6 |  Ukraine | 87.2% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 7 |  Netherlands | 86.6% | 2023 | Western Europe |
| 8 |  Albania | 84.1% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 9 |  Sweden | 84.0% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 10 |  Latvia | 82.9% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 11 |  Belgium | 82.1% | 2023 | Western Europe |
| 12 |  Croatia | 81.2% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 13 |  Poland | 80.9% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 14 |  Malta | 80.5% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 15 |  United Kingdom | 80.4% | 2023 | Northern Europe |
| 16 |  Slovenia | 80.1% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 17 |  Denmark | 79.0% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 18 |  Portugal | 77.7% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 19 |  Ireland | 77.6% | 2022 | Northern Europe |
| 20 |  Monaco | 77.5% | 2024 | Western Europe |
| 21 |  Germany | 76.7% | 2024 | Western Europe |
| 22 |  Iceland | 76.5% | 2023 | Northern Europe |
| 23 |  Italy | 75.9% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 24 |  Lithuania | 75.6% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 25 |  Moldova | 74.7% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 26 |  Switzerland | 73.5% | 2024 | Western Europe |
| 27 |  France | 71.5% | 2024 | Western Europe |
| 28 |  Serbia | 70.6% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 29 |  Belarus | 70.1% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 30 |  Bulgaria | 69.5% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 31 |  Andorra | 67.7% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 32 |  Czechia | 66.7% | 2023 | Eastern Europe |
| 33 |  Estonia | 65.7% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 34 |  Hungary | 60.5% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 35 |  Russia | 60.4% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 36 |  San Marino | 57.5% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| =37 |  Montenegro | 55.2% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| =37 |  Romania | 55.2% | 2023 | Eastern Europe |
| 39 |  North Macedonia | 55.0% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 40 |  Slovakia | 54.5% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| 41 |  Liechtenstein | 46.0% | 2021 | Western Europe |
| 42 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 45.5% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 43 |  Luxembourg | 22.4% | 2024 | Western Europe |
No World Bank figure for Vatican City.
Questions
- Which country in Europe has the highest university enrolment?
- Greece has the highest university enrolment in Europe: 165.1% gross enrolment (2023). Next come Finland (110.3% gross enrolment) and Norway (95.5% gross enrolment).
- Which country in Europe has the lowest university enrolment?
- Luxembourg, with 22.4% gross enrolment (2024).
- What is the typical university enrolment of a country in Europe?
- The median of the 43 countries in Europe is 76.5% gross enrolment: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- Students in universities and other tertiary education, as a share of the people of the five years after secondary school. Older students count too, so it can pass 100%. Source: World Bank, mostly 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.