North America - School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross)

The value for School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) in North America was 100.89 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 50 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 100.89 in 2019 and a minimum value of 39.12 in 1970.

Definition: 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.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)

See also:

Year Value
1970 39.12
1971 39.16
1972 40.69
1973 42.62
1974 43.77
1975 46.33
1976 49.37
1977 50.24
1978 52.32
1979 53.06
1980 55.26
1981 58.29
1982 60.22
1983 60.91
1984 62.28
1985 62.93
1986 64.82
1987 68.44
1988 72.26
1989 75.99
1990 81.98
1991 84.59
1992 89.55
1993 90.05
1994 89.84
1995 90.40
1996 90.22
1997 85.35
1998 80.39
1999 81.51
2000 76.50
2001 82.23
2002 88.06
2003 90.52
2004 92.92
2005 92.94
2006 95.83
2007 96.69
2008 97.42
2009 99.96
2010 99.67
2011 99.88
2012 100.11
2013 100.39
2014 99.91
2015 99.93
2016 99.70
2017 99.76
2018 100.22
2019 100.89
2020 100.89

Development Relevance: Gross enrollment ratios indicate the capacity of each level of the education system, but a high ratio may reflect a substantial number of overage children enrolled in each grade because of repetition or late entry rather than a successful education system. The net enrollment rate excludes overage and underage students and more accurately captures the system's coverage and internal efficiency. Differences between the gross enrollment ratio and the net enrollment rate show the incidence of overage and underage enrollments.

Limitations and Exceptions: 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.

Other Notes: Data retrieved via API in March 2019. For detailed information on the observation level (e.g. National Estimation, UIS Estimation, or Category not applicable), please visit UIS.Stat (http://data.uis.unesco.org/).

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross enrollment ratio for tertiary school is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled in tertiary education regardless of age by the population of the age group which officially corresponds to tertiary education, and multiplying by 100. Data on education are collected by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from official responses to its annual education survey. All the data are mapped to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to ensure the comparability of education programs at the international level. The current version was formally adopted by UNESCO Member States in 2011. Population data are drawn from the United Nations Population Division. Using a single source for population data standardizes definitions, estimations, and interpolation methods, ensuring a consistent methodology across countries and minimizing potential enumeration problems in national censuses. The reference years reflect the school year for which the data are presented. In some countries the school year spans two calendar years (for example, from September 2010 to June 2011); in these cases the reference year refers to the year in which the school year ended (2011 in the example).

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Education Indicators

Sub-Topic: Participation