Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran

Iran: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 654,441 number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
654,441 number
Change on year
down 12.6%
World rank
9th
of 143 countries
All-time high
1.05 million number
in 2011
All-time low
233,060 number
in 1999
Years of data
19
1999–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran, 1999–2018

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1999200820181999: 233.1k number2000: 278.1k number2001: 330.2k number2002: 346.6k number2003: 404.4k number2004: 496.8k number2005: 598.1k number2006: 720.9k number2007: 736.8k number2008: 766.9k number2009: 766.6k number2010: 1.0M number2011: 1.1M number2012: 1.0M number2013: 927.3k number2014: 1.0M number2016: 822.3k number2017: 748.6k number2018: 654.4k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran stood at 654,441 number.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.6% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran peaked at 1.05 million number in 2011 and was at its lowest, 233,060 number, in 1999.

That places Iran 9th out of 143 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in Iran, 1999 to 2018.
Year number Change
1999 233,060 number —
2000 278,051 number +19.3%
2001 330,213 number +18.8%
2002 346,596 number +5.0%
2003 404,439 number +16.7%
2004 496,789 number +22.8%
2005 598,111 number +20.4%
2006 720,926 number +20.5%
2007 736,775 number +2.2%
2008 766,882 number +4.1%
2009 766,584 number -0.0%
2010 1.03 million number +35.0%
2011 1.05 million number +1.8%
2012 1.00 million number -5.0%
2013 927,311 number -7.3%
2014 1.04 million number +12.6%
2016 822,345 number -21.2%
2017 748,626 number -9.0%
2018 654,441 number -12.6%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 654,441 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26,828 number, 24.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 654,441 number is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 25,390 number, 25.8× the median. (19 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 233,060 number 233,060 number 233,060 number 1
2000s 544,537 number 278,051 number 766,882 number 10
2010s 910,573 number 654,441 number 1.05 million number 8

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 6 Japan 758,779 number compare
  2. 7 Colombia 686,641 number compare
  3. 8 South Korea 677,032 number compare
  4. 10 Argentina 627,763 number compare
  5. 11 Nigeria 555,491 number compare
  6. 12 Venezuela 509,857 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran was 654,441 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 1.05 million number in 2011.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 233,060 number in 1999.
How does Iran rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
Iran ranks 9th out of 143 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Iran. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,883 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private short-cycle tertiary education programmes (ISCED 5).