India: School enrollment, tertiary (% gross)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, India's school enrollment, tertiary (% gross) rose 0.03 percentage points on 2024 (from 34.42% to 34.45%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was +0.84 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.13 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.8 percentage points in 1988. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.92 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 96% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 37.39% for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.92%, against 1.7% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to India in the 2025 ranking

• Barbados — 5th of 9: 50.8%
• Thailand — 6th of 9: 49.08%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 7th of 9: 38.04%
• Burundi — 9th of 9: 6.38%

What this measures

Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Tertiary education, whether or not to an advanced research qualification, normally requires, as a minimum condition of admission, the successful completion of education at the secondary level.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 47 values

School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 23.73% (2024)
• Bhutan — 13.01% (2024)
• Nepal — 21.29% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 20.74% (2023)

More education data for India

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 126.12 million (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 111.03% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 110.61% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 111.42% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2021)
• Secondary education, pupils — 133.16 million (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is India's school enrollment, tertiary (% gross)?

34.45% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 29.53 percentage points from 4.92% in 1971. The highest value was 34.45% in 2025 and the lowest 4.87% in 1977.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, tertiary (% gross) unusual for India?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.TER.ENRR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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