Countries in South 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%. 8 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2024
Median country
68.8%
half above, half below| # | Country | % gross | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chile | 110.2% | 2024 | South America |
| 2 |  Argentina | 107.8% | 2023 | South America |
| 3 |  Uruguay | 80.0% | 2023 | South America |
| 4 |  Brazil | 69.7% | 2024 | South America |
| 5 |  Ecuador | 67.9% | 2023 | South America |
| 6 |  Colombia | 59.3% | 2022 | South America |
| 7 |  Guyana | 26.4% | 2024 | South America |
| 8 |  Suriname | 2.6% | 2024 | South America |
No World Bank figure for 4 countries: Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela.
Questions
- Which country in South America has the highest university enrolment?
- Chile has the highest university enrolment in South America: 110.2% gross enrolment (2024). Next come Argentina (107.8% gross enrolment) and Uruguay (80.0% gross enrolment).
- Which country in South America has the lowest university enrolment?
- Suriname, with 2.6% gross enrolment (2024).
- What is the typical university enrolment of a country in South America?
- The median of the 8 countries in South America is 68.8% 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.