Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 2.84 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
2.84 million number
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
18th
of 43 groups
All-time high
4.05 million number
in 2012
All-time low
1.55 million number
in 1998
Years of data
22
1998–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, 1998–2019

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1998200820191998: 1.5M number1999: 1.7M number2000: 1.8M number2001: 1.8M number2002: 2.0M number2003: 2.1M number2004: 2.2M number2005: 2.5M number2006: 2.7M number2007: 2.8M number2008: 3.1M number2009: 3.3M number2010: 3.6M number2011: 3.9M number2012: 4.0M number2013: 3.1M number2014: 3.2M number2015: 3.3M number2016: 2.9M number2017: 2.9M number2018: 2.9M number2019: 2.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Latin America & Caribbean recorded 2.84 million number for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2019.

The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 4.05 million number in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.55 million number, in 1998.

That places Latin America & Caribbean 18th out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1998 to 2019.
Year number Change
1998 1.55 million number
1999 1.68 million number +8.8%
2000 1.75 million number +3.9%
2001 1.83 million number +4.8%
2002 2.00 million number +9.0%
2003 2.07 million number +3.8%
2004 2.18 million number +5.3%
2005 2.49 million number +13.8%
2006 2.71 million number +9.1%
2007 2.75 million number +1.6%
2008 3.07 million number +11.6%
2009 3.33 million number +8.3%
2010 3.58 million number +7.7%
2011 3.86 million number +7.7%
2012 4.05 million number +4.8%
2013 3.08 million number -23.9%
2014 3.20 million number +4.0%
2015 3.30 million number +3.0%
2016 2.87 million number -12.9%
2017 2.90 million number +1.1%
2018 2.85 million number -1.8%
2019 2.84 million number -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.62 million number 1.55 million number 1.68 million number 2
2000s 2.42 million number 1.75 million number 3.33 million number 10
2010s 3.25 million number 2.84 million number 4.05 million number 10

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean

  1. 15 Spain 414,386 number compare
  2. 16 Malaysia 398,615 number compare
  3. 17 Ukraine 383,710 number compare
  4. 18 South Africa 361,511 number compare
  5. 19 Canada 361,504 number compare
  6. 20 Chile 347,377 number compare
  7. 21 Thailand 345,866 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean

All data for Latin America & Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean was 2.84 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 4.05 million number in 2012.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 1.55 million number in 1998.
How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 18th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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 Latin America & Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/latin-america-and-caribbean/

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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).