Rationale and definition:

The indicator measures the total enrollment in tertiary education regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the five-year age group following on from secondary school leaving. Tertiary education is defined as per the International Standard Classification of Education (1997) levels 5 and 6.

Tertiary enrollment rates are indicative of the quality of the labor force in the country, and a wide gap between the tertiary enrollment rates and unemployment rates indicate either an inability of the economy to absorb its trained graduates, or the “employability” of the graduates which indicates a mismatch between the skills being imparted through the tertiary education system and the skills demanded by the market.

Disaggregation:

Share of enrollment by sex, urban/rural and by field of study (to track women in science, mathematics, engineering, etc.).

Comments and limitations:

Tertiary enrollment rates by themselves are not predictors of youth unemployment rates.

Preliminary assessment of current data availability by Friends of the Chair:

A

Primary data source:

Administrative data is preferred, but when there is limited data availability, it can be complemented with household surveys.

Potential lead agency or agencies:

UNESCO.