Countries in North America 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%. 15 countries in North America, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2024
Median country
41.5%
half above, half below| # | Country | % gross | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 79.4% | 2022 | Northern America |
| 2 |  Canada | 76.3% | 2023 | Northern America |
| 3 |  Dominican Republic | 57.7% | 2024 | Caribbean |
| 4 |  Panama | 53.7% | 2023 | Central America |
| 5 |  Barbados | 50.8% | 2025 | Caribbean |
| 6 |  Mexico | 48.2% | 2024 | Central America |
| 7 |  Cuba | 43.1% | 2024 | Caribbean |
| 8 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 41.5% | 2022 | Caribbean |
| 9 |  El Salvador | 32.8% | 2024 | Central America |
| 10 |  Nicaragua | 30.4% | 2023 | Central America |
| 11 |  Guatemala | 27.3% | 2023 | Central America |
| 12 |  Belize | 24.8% | 2024 | Central America |
| 13 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 23.8% | 2024 | Caribbean |
| 14 |  Honduras | 23.3% | 2024 | Central America |
| 15 |  Saint Lucia | 15.0% | 2023 | Caribbean |
No World Bank figure for 8 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Territories and other places
Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.
| Place | % gross | Status |
|---|---|---|
 Puerto Rico | 77.9% | Territory of United States of America |
 British Virgin Islands | 29.6% | Territory of United Kingdom |
 Turks and Caicos Islands | 25.3% | Territory of United Kingdom |
 Bermuda | 17.3% | Territory of United Kingdom |
 Aruba | 14.1% | Territory of Netherlands |
 Sint Maarten | 7.7% | Territory of Netherlands |
Questions
- Which country in North America has the highest university enrolment?
- The United States has the highest university enrolment in North America: 79.4% gross enrolment (2022). Next come Canada (76.3% gross enrolment) and the Dominican Republic (57.7% gross enrolment).
- Which country in North America has the lowest university enrolment?
- Saint Lucia, with 15.0% gross enrolment (2023).
- What is the typical university enrolment of a country in North America?
- The median of the 15 countries in North America is 41.5% 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.