UNESCO: The number of university students worldwide has more than doubled in 20 years

May 12, 2026 Culture and Education

The authors of the study note a sharp increase in international academic mobility: during the same period, the number of students studying abroad has nearly tripled and reached 7.3 million people. At the same time, half of them receive education in countries of Europe and North America.

According to a new report based on data from 146 countries, the number of students studying at universities worldwide grew from approximately 100 million in 2000 to 269 million in 2024. Today, higher education is received by 43 percent of young people of the corresponding age – typically from 18 to 24 years old.

At the same time, the level of access to higher education varies significantly depending on the region. If in the countries of Western Europe and North America about 80 percent of young people attend universities, then in Latin America and the Caribbean this figure is 59 percent, in Arab countries – 37 percent, in countries of South and West Asia – 30 percent, and in African countries – only nine.

At the same time, private educational institutions still provide about a third of the total number of university students worldwide. The highest share of private higher education remains in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, where in 2023 it amounted to 49 percent. At the same time, as noted in the report, only a third of countries legislatively guarantee free public higher education.

However, the growth in the number of students is not accompanied by such a rapid increase in the number of graduates. Thus, the share of students who have completed their studies rose from 22 percent in 2013 to 27 percent in 2024.

Education abroad and gender equality

Despite the fact that the number of students receiving higher education abroad has more than tripled, the opportunity to study abroad is used by only about three percent of students worldwide, with significant differences existing between regions.

So, half of all foreign students are still accepted by seven countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, Russia, and France. At the same time, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are becoming increasingly popular destinations for education — over the past decade, the number of foreign students there has grown at least fivefold, and now these countries in terms of international mobility have almost caught up with France.

The report notes that students increasingly prefer to receive higher education within their own region. For example, in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean Basin, the share of intra-regional academic mobility has grown from 24 to 43 percent between 2000 and 2022, with Argentina becoming the main destination for study. Among students from Arab states, countries of the Persian Gulf and Jordan are becoming more popular, whereas ten years ago the main destinations were Western Europe and North America.

UNESCO and its Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications relating to Higher Education, as well as its regional equivalents, play an important role in the development of international academic mobility. To date, 93 countries have ratified it. The organization notes that the convention not only facilitates the fair and transparent recognition of diplomas but also establishes common standards for ensuring the quality of higher education.

The authors of the report also noted that women today make up the majority of university students: in 2024, for every 100 men studying in the higher education system, there were 114 women. This trend is noticeable in all regions of the world, except for African countries. Significant progress, according to UNESCO data, has been achieved in Central and South Asian countries. However, women are still less represented in doctoral programs and occupy only about a quarter of leadership positions in the academic field.

Inequality, quality of education, and financing

Despite some progress, only a third of countries have implemented support programs for access to higher education for underrepresented population groups. The report notes that countries such as Chile, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa have reduced tuition fees or completely abolished fees for higher education for certain categories of students.

Nevertheless, serious obstacles to obtaining higher education still remain for refugees. Although the proportion of refugees receiving higher education has increased from one percent in 2019 to nine percent in 2025, one of the main problems remains the recognition of lost or unverified education documents, especially in Global South countries.

To address this issue, UNESCO is implementing the Qualifications Passport program – a mechanism for recognizing the academic, professional, and technical qualifications of refugees and forcibly displaced persons. Currently, the program operates in Iraq, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with plans for further expansion. Hundreds of applicants have already received such documents.

The report also notes that government spending on higher education accounts for about 0.8 percent of global GDP. At the same time, reductions in public spending in many countries increase the burden on universities and highlight the need to find new financing models to ensure quality education.

The authors of the study warn that the rapid increase in the number of students over recent decades is intensifying pressure on higher education systems. In this context, maintaining the quality of education, expanding access to education for socially vulnerable groups, and ensuring sustainable funding for universities acquire special significance.

The report also states that digital technologies and artificial intelligence are increasingly changing the educational process. However, in 2025, official policy on the use of artificial intelligence existed only at every fifth university in the world.