Statistics and indicators on women and men

Download data Excel

Table 4d. Tertiary education
Last update: June 2011
 
Country or area
Year
Women
Men
Year
%
Afghanistan 2009 1 6
2009
18
Albania 2004 23 15
2004
62
Algeria 2009 36 25
2009
58
Andorra 2008 12 9
2008
58
Angola 2002 a 1 1
2002
 a
40
Anguilla 2008 b 8 2
2008
83
Antigua and Barbuda 2009 20 9
2009
71
Argentina 2007 82 54
2007
60
Armenia 2009 57 44
2009
56
Aruba 2009 36 26
2009
58
Australia 2008 87 67
2008
55
Austria 2008 59 50
2008
53
Azerbaijan 2009 a 19 19
2009
50
Bahrain 2010 51 52
2010
46
Bangladesh 2009 6 10
2009
35
Barbados
…
…
…
2009
69
Belarus 2009 91 63
2009
58
Belgium 2008 70 56
2008
55
Belize 2009 15 8
2009
64
Benin 2001 b 2 7
2001
 b
20
Bermuda 2009 47 18
2009
72
Bhutan 2008 5 8
2008
35
Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 2007 a 35 42
2007
 a
45
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2009 42 32
2009
56
Botswana 2006 8 7
2006
53
Brazil 2008 39 30
2008
56
British Virgin Islands 2009 b 79 48
2009
65
Brunei Darussalam 2009 22 13
2009
63
Bulgaria 2008 58 44
2008
55
Burkina Faso 2009 2 5
2009
32
Burundi 2006 b 1 3
2006
 b
31
Cambodia 2008 5 9
2008
34
Cameroon 2009 8 10
2009
44
Canada 2004 b 72 53
2004
 b
56
Cape Verde 2009 17 13
2009
56
Cayman Islands 2008 39 18
2008
69
Central African Republic 2009 1 3
2009
31
Chad 2009 1 3
2009
15
Chile 2008 56 54
2008
50
China 2009 25 24
2009
49
China, Hong Kong SAR 2009 b 58 56
2009
 b
50
China, Macao SAR 2009 60 66
2009
50
Colombia 2009 38 36
2009
51
Comoros 2004 b 2 3
2004
 b
43
Congo 2009 2 11
2009
17
Costa Rica 2005 b 28 23
2005
 b
54
Côte d'Ivoire 2007 6 11
2007
33
Croatia 2008 55 44
2008
55
Cuba 2009 149 88
2009
61
Cyprus 2008 a 42 44
2008
49
Czech Republic 2008 67 50
2008
55
Democratic Republic of the Congo 2008 3 8
2008
26
Denmark 2008 93 64
2008
58
Djibouti 2009 3 4
2009
41
Dominica 2008 5 2
2008
76
Dominican Republic 2004 b 41 26
2004
 b
61
Ecuador 2008 45 39
2008
53
Egypt 2004 b 24 31
2004
 b
43
El Salvador 2008 26 23
2008
55
Equatorial Guinea 2000 2 5
2000
30
Eritrea 2010 1 3
2010
25
Estonia 2008 80 48
2008
62
Ethiopia 2008 2 5
2008
24
Fiji 2005 b 17 14
2005
 b
53
Finland 2008 105 85
2008
54
France 2008 61 48
2008
55
Gabon 1999 5 9
1999
36
Gambia 1999 1 2
2004
19
Georgia 2009 28 23
2009
55
Ghana 2009 7 11
2009
37
Greece 2007 95 87
2007
50
Grenada 2009 62 45
2009
57
Guatemala 2007 18 18
2007
51
Guinea 2008 5 14
2008
24
Guinea-Bissau
…
…
…
2001
 b
16
Guyana
2009
11
11
2009
49
Holy See
…
…
…
1999
30
Honduras 2008 a 22 15
2008
 a
60
Hungary 2008 77 54
2008
58
Iceland 2008 99 52
2008
64
India 2007 11 16
2007
39
Indonesia 2008 20 22
2008
47
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 2009 38 35
2009
51
Iraq 2004 12 19
2005
 b
36
Ireland 2008 64 53
2008
54
Israel 2008 68 52
2008
56
Italy 2008 79 56
2008
57
Jamaica 2008 33 15
2008
69
Japan 2008 54 62
2008
46
Jordan 2008 43 39
2008
51
Kazakhstan 2010 48 33
2010
58
Kenya 2009 3 5
2009
41
Kuwait 2004 b 27 12
2004
 b
64
Kyrgyzstan 2009 58 44
2009
56
Lao People's Democratic Republic 2008 12 15
2008
43
Latvia 2008 91 48
2008
64
Lebanon 2009 57 48
2009
54
Lesotho 2006 4 3
2006
55
Liberia 2000 15 20
2000
43
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2003 b 58 53
2003
 b
51
Liechtenstein 2008 a 25 48
2008
33
Lithuania 2008 95 61
2008
60
Luxembourg 2006 11 9
2006
52
Madagascar 2009 3 4
2009
48
Malawi
…
…
…
2007
34
Malaysia
2008
41
32
2008
56
Maldives
…
…
…
2004
 b
70
Mali
2009
3
9
2009
29
Malta 2008 38 26
2008
58
Marshall Islands 2003 b 18 14
2003
 b
56
Mauritania 2009 2 5
2009
28
Mauritius 2008 b 29 23
2008
 b
55
Mexico 2008 27 28
2008
50
Mongolia 2009 64 41
2009
61
Montserrat 2008 b 31 6
2008
80
Morocco 2009 12 14
2009
47
Mozambique 2005 1 2
2005
33
Myanmar 2007 12 9
2007
58
Namibia 2008 10 8
2008
57
Nepal 2004 3 8
2009
40
Netherlands 2008 64 58
2008
52
Netherlands Antilles 2002 25 17
2002
60
New Zealand 2008 94 64
2008
58
Nicaragua 2003 b 19 17
2003
 b
52
Niger 2010 1 2
2010
30
Nigeria 2005 8 12
2005
41
Norway 2008 91 56
2008
61
Occupied Palestinian Territory 2009 52 40
2009
56
Oman 2003 12 16
2007
51
Pakistan 2009 a 6 7
2009
 a
45
Palau 2002 b 52 26
2002
 b
63
Panama 2008 55 36
2008
60
Papua New Guinea 1999 b 1 3
1999
 b
35
Paraguay 2007 33 24
2007
57
Peru 2006 b 36 33
2006
 b
51
Philippines 2008 32 26
2008
54
Poland 2008 82 58
2008
58
Portugal 2008 66 55
2008
54
Puerto Rico 2008 95 61
2008
60
Qatar 2009 30 5
2009
64
Republic of Korea 2008 79 115
2008
38
Republic of Moldova 2009 a 45 32
2009
57
Romania 2008 75 56
2008
56
Russian Federation 2008 89 66
2008
57
Rwanda 2009 4 6
2009
44
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2008 25 12
2008
67
Saint Lucia 2009 23 9
2009
72
Samoa 2001 b 7 8
2001
 b
44
San Marino
…
…
…
2008
57
Sao Tome and Principe
2010
4
4
2010
49
Saudi Arabia
2009
36
29
2009
55
Senegal
2009
6
10
2009
37
Serbia
2009
a
56
44
2009
55
Sierra Leone
2002
b
1
3
2002
 b
29
Singapore
…
…
…
2010
50
Slovakia 2008 66 42
2008
60
Slovenia 2008 103 71
2008
58
Spain 2008 78 63
2008
54
Sudan 2000 b 6 6
2000
 b
47
Suriname 2002 16 9
2002
62
Swaziland 2006 4 4
2006
50
Sweden 2008 88 55
2008
60
Switzerland 2008 49 49
2008
49
Tajikistan 2009 12 28
2009
29
TFYR of Macedonia 2008 44 37
2008
53
Thailand 2010 51 39
2010
56
Timor-Leste 2009 13 18
2009
40
Tonga 2004 b 8 5
2004
 b
60
Trinidad and Tobago 2005 b 13 10
2005
 b
56
Tunisia 2008 40 27
2008
59
Turkey 2008 34 43
2008
43
Turks and Caicos Islands
…
…
…
2008
50
Uganda 2009 4 5
2009
44
Ukraine 2008 a 88 71
2008
 a
54
United Arab Emirates 2009 41 22
2009
60
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2008 67 48
2008
57
United Republic of Tanzania 2005 b 1 2
2005
 b
32
United States of America 2008 97 69
2008
57
Uruguay 2008 83 48
2008
63
Uzbekistan 2009 8 11
2009
40
Vanuatu 2004 b 4 6
2004
 b
36
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 2008 a 99 59
2008
 a
62
Viet Nam 2001 8 11
2009
49
Yemen 2007 6 14
2007
29
Zambia 2000 b 2 3
2000
 b
32

 

Sources:

Gross enrolment ratio in tertiary education
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, table 14: Tertiary indicators, available from UIS website, http://www.uis.unesco.org (accessed June 2011).

Women’s share of tertiary enrolment
Calculated by the United Nations Statistics Division based on data published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in table 14: Tertiary indicators, available from UIS website, http://www.uis.unesco.org (accessed June 2011).

Footnotes:

…
 Not available.
_
 Magnitude nil or negligible.
a
 National estimation.
b
 UIS estimation.

Top

Technical notes:

Statistics on enrolment are compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS) from data provided by national Governments in response to UIS questionnaires.

The 1997 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 97) defines tertiary education as education programmes at ISCED levels 5 and 6. Education at ISCED level 5 includes programmes that are theoretically based or research preparatory (history, philosophy, mathematics, etc.) or giving access to professions with high skills requirements (e.g., medicine, dentistry, architecture, etc.), and those programmes that are practical, technical or occupationally specific. Level 6 are tertiary programmes that lead to the award of an advanced research qualification. The programmes are therefore devoted to advanced study and original research and are not based on course-work only.

The tertiary gross enrolment ratio is defined as enrolment at third level, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population in the theoretical school age group corresponding to this level of education. For the tertiary level, the population is the five-year age group following on from the secondary-school leaving age. The tertiary gross enrolment ratio is used to show the general level of participation in this level of education.

The women’s share of tertiary enrolment refers to the percentage of students enrolled in tertiary education who are female. This indicator helps assess gender disparity with regard to participation in tertiary education. When the indicator approaches 50% it reflects a good level of gender parity.