Higher education
The share of young people in higher education, the pipeline for the future workforce.
Where Europe stands now
Higher education
The share of young people in higher education. The pipeline that feeds the future workforce.
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EU vs US vs China vs D9+ over time
% tertiary enrolment
The story
The education gap that once separated the West from the rest is gone. The EU and US both enroll around 79 percent of the relevant age group in tertiary education, and China has climbed to roughly 77 percent, from single digits in the early 1990s. Everyone now educates at scale; the differentiator has moved downstream.
Why it matters
Tertiary enrolment is the pipeline for the future workforce. When enrolment converges, competitive advantage shifts to what is studied, where graduates go, and whether the economy gives them something ambitious to do.
Policy context
Europe's issue is not enrolment volume but composition and destination: the STEM share of graduates, and the share of its best who leave for American labs and companies. This indicator explains why the talent battle is fought after graduation, not before.
How this number is calculated
Source & cadence
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