Data / Rankings / Tertiary education gross enrolment ratio / EU countries

EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio

Greece had the highest tertiary education gross enrolment ratio of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 135.3%. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 19.6%. The median was 72.1%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

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Highest135.3Greece
Lowest19.6Luxembourg
Median72.127 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2017

Austria: 83.8 %Belgium: 80.8 %Bulgaria: 81.2 %Cyprus: 79.8 %Czechia: 67.7 %Germany: 68.5 %Denmark: 81.3 %Estonia: 72.1 %Spain: 92.1 %Finland: 90.7 %France: 65.8 %Greece: 135.3 %Croatia: 71.4 %Hungary: 51.4 %Ireland: 77.5 %Italy: 62.7 %Lithuania: 76.5 %Luxembourg: 19.6 %Latvia: 88.1 %Malta: 54.1 %Netherlands: 83.2 %Poland: 70.6 %Portugal: 64.2 %Romania: 50.5 %Sweden: 70.4 %Slovenia: 79.3 %Slovakia: 49.1 %
  • Under 63
  • 63 to 71
  • 71 to 79
  • 79 to 83
  • 83 and over
%, 2017. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

Greece: 135.3 %Greece135.3Spain: 92.1 %Spain92.1Finland: 90.7 %Finland90.7Latvia: 88.1 %Latvia88.1Austria: 83.8 %Austria83.8Netherlands: 83.2 %Netherlands83.2Denmark: 81.3 %Denmark81.3Bulgaria: 81.2 %Bulgaria81.2Belgium: 80.8 %Belgium80.8Cyprus: 79.8 %Cyprus79.8Slovenia: 79.3 %Slovenia79.3Ireland: 77.5 %Ireland77.5Lithuania: 76.5 %Lithuania76.5Estonia: 72.1 %Estonia72.1Croatia: 71.4 %Croatia71.4Poland: 70.6 %Poland70.6Sweden: 70.4 %Sweden70.4Germany: 68.5 %Germany68.5Czechia: 67.7 %Czechia67.7France: 65.8 %France65.8Portugal: 64.2 %Portugal64.2Italy: 62.7 %Italy62.7Malta: 54.1 %Malta54.1Hungary: 51.4 %Hungary51.4Romania: 50.5 %Romania50.5Slovakia: 49.1 %Slovakia49.1Luxembourg: 19.6 %Luxembourg19.6Greece: 135.3 %Greece135.3Spain: 92.1 %Spain92.1Finland: 90.7 %Finland90.7Latvia: 88.1 %Latvia88.1Austria: 83.8 %Austria83.8Netherlands: 83.2 %Netherlands83.2Denmark: 81.3 %Denmark81.3Bulgaria: 81.2 %Bulgaria81.2Belgium: 80.8 %Belgium80.8Cyprus: 79.8 %Cyprus79.8Slovenia: 79.3 %Slovenia79.3Ireland: 77.5 %Ireland77.5Lithuania: 76.5 %Lithuania76.5Estonia: 72.1 %Estonia72.1Croatia: 71.4 %Croatia71.4Poland: 70.6 %Poland70.6Sweden: 70.4 %Sweden70.4Germany: 68.5 %Germany68.5Czechia: 67.7 %Czechia67.7France: 65.8 %France65.8Portugal: 64.2 %Portugal64.2Italy: 62.7 %Italy62.7Malta: 54.1 %Malta54.1Hungary: 51.4 %Hungary51.4Romania: 50.5 %Romania50.5Slovakia: 49.1 %Slovakia49.1Luxembourg: 19.6 %Luxembourg19.6
%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Greece135.3+3.9 pts
2Spain92.1+2.3 pts
3Finland90.7+1.4 pts
4Latvia88.1+7.5 pts
5Austria83.8+1 pts
6Netherlands83.2+3.4 pts
7Denmark81.3-0.8 pts
8Bulgaria81.2+0.6 pts
9Belgium80.8+3.5 pts
10Cyprus79.8+11.5 pts
11Slovenia79.3-0.2 pts
12Ireland77.5-0 pts
13Lithuania76.5+2.5 pts
14Estonia72.1-0.9 pts
15Croatia71.4+1.8 pts
16Poland70.6+0.8 pts
17Sweden70.4+2.1 pts
18Germany68.5+0.5 pts
19Czechia67.7+0.2 pts
20France65.8+1.1 pts
21Portugal64.2+1 pts
22Italy62.7+1.3 pts
23Malta54.1+4.9 pts
24Hungary51.4+0.6 pts
25Romania50.5+0.6 pts
26Slovakia49.1-1.2 pts
27Luxembourg19.6-0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Students enrolled in tertiary education (ISCED levels 5 to 8), of any age, as a percentage of the population in the five-year age group that follows the official secondary school leaving age. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

A gross ratio: students outside the reference ages and students from abroad are counted, so it can exceed 100%. It counts students, not graduates; for degree holders in the United States see bachelors_degree_share.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2026). School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR) (EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio, 2017) [Data set]. World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR

MLA 9

School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR), EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio, 2017. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR. World Bank, World Development Indicators, https://data.worldbank.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-enrolment-ratio/eu-countries?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR). EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio, 2017. Dataset. Distributed by World Bank, World Development Indicators. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-enrolment-ratio/eu-countries?period=2017.

Harvard

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR), EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio, 2017 [Dataset]. Via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-enrolment-ratio/eu-countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{unesco_eu_countries_by_tertiary_2017,
  author = {{UNESCO Institute for Statistics}},
  title = {{School enrollment, tertiary, \% gross (SE.TER.ENRR): EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  publisher = {World Bank, World Development Indicators},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-enrolment-ratio/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). School enrollment, tertiary, \% gross (SE.TER.ENRR). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
TI  - School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR): EU countries by tertiary education gross enrolment ratio, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank, World Development Indicators
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-enrolment-ratio/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-enrolment-ratio/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest tertiary education gross enrolment ratio?

Greece, with 135.3% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Which EU country has the lowest tertiary education gross enrolment ratio?

Luxembourg, with 19.6% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, School enrollment, tertiary, % gross (SE.TER.ENRR). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Tertiary education gross enrolment ratio: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings