Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 1.61 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
1.61 million number
Change on year
up 4.6%
Rank
27th
of 45 groups
All-time high
1.87 million number
in 2014
All-time low
651,132 number
in 1998
Years of data
22
1998–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1998–2019

750.0k1.0M1.2M1.5M1.8M1998200820191998: 651.1k number1999: 720.1k number2000: 801.0k number2001: 884.5k number2002: 927.6k number2003: 1.0M number2004: 1.2M number2005: 1.3M number2006: 1.4M number2007: 1.4M number2008: 1.5M number2009: 1.5M number2010: 1.8M number2011: 1.8M number2012: 1.8M number2013: 1.7M number2014: 1.9M number2015: 1.8M number2016: 1.7M number2017: 1.6M number2018: 1.5M number2019: 1.6M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 1.61 million number for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2019.

The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 1.87 million number in 2014 and was at its lowest, 651,132 number, in 1998.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 27th out of 45 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1998 to 2019.
Year number Change
1998 651,132 number
1999 720,056 number +10.6%
2000 800,986 number +11.2%
2001 884,518 number +10.4%
2002 927,587 number +4.9%
2003 1.04 million number +12.3%
2004 1.16 million number +11.7%
2005 1.26 million number +8.4%
2006 1.41 million number +11.7%
2007 1.44 million number +2.3%
2008 1.49 million number +3.1%
2009 1.50 million number +0.9%
2010 1.78 million number +18.6%
2011 1.79 million number +0.5%
2012 1.78 million number -0.3%
2013 1.74 million number -2.2%
2014 1.87 million number +7.3%
2015 1.75 million number -6.1%
2016 1.66 million number -5.4%
2017 1.62 million number -2.4%
2018 1.54 million number -4.7%
2019 1.61 million number +4.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 685,594 number 651,132 number 720,056 number 2
2000s 1.19 million number 800,986 number 1.50 million number 10
2010s 1.71 million number 1.54 million number 1.87 million number 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 24 Greece 224,478 number compare
  2. 25 Bangladesh 203,373 number compare
  3. 26 Morocco 188,014 number compare
  4. 27 Ghana 175,090 number compare
  5. 28 Mexico 174,609 number compare
  6. 29 Philippines 173,349 number compare
  7. 30 Uzbekistan 119,718 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 1.61 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 1.87 million number in 2014.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 651,132 number in 1998.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 27th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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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).