Some countries in East Asia are rapidly expanding their higher-education sectors, while universities are struggling in many places in the United States. Even so, the United States still has a big lead.
| China | Hong Kong | Singapore | South Korea | Taiwan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of young adults enrolled in postsecondary institutions1 | ||||||
| Late 1980s2 | 3% | n/a | 24% | n/a | 15% | 30% |
| Late 1990s2 | 10% | 30% | 43% | n/a | 31% | 37% |
| 2007-8 | 23% | 69% | 60% | n/a | 61% | 39% |
| Higher-education enrollment (in thousands)3 | ||||||
| Late 1980s2 | n/a | 36 | 48 | 1,331 | 208 | 13,818 |
| 1997-98 | 5,910 | 72 | 105 | 2,268 | 422 | 15,312 |
| 2007-8 | 18,850 | 133 | 156 | 2,913 | 1,192 | 18,248 |
| Number of higher-education institutions | ||||||
| Late 1980s4 | 1,063 | 6 | 5 | 231 | 114 | n/a |
| Late 1990s4 | 1,020 | 10 | 7 | 297 | 166 | 3,842 |
| 2007 | 1,908 | 12 | 9 | 334 | 252 | 4,391 |
| Number of highly ranked research institutions5 | ||||||
| 2008 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 111 |
| Government spending on higher education (in millions of U.S. dollars)6 | ||||||
| 1997-98 | n/a | n/a | $661 | n/a | $4,378 | n/a |
| 2007-8 | n/a | $2,167 | $1,998 | n/a | $7,501 | $129,284 |
| Gross domestic product (in billions)6, 7 | ||||||
| 1997-98 | $4,250 | $175 | $85 | $631 | $308 | $8,083 |
| 2007-8 | $7,937 | $307 | $237 | $1,335 | $712 | $14,260 |
| Note: n/a means data were not available. | ||||||
| 1 The countries define “young adults” differently, but in general they use a three- to four-year range between the ages of 17 and 23. | ||||||
| 2 The Asian countries shown reported some of these data for different years during the late 1980s and late 1990s. | ||||||
| 3 The Chronicle asked each Asian country shown to provide enrollment figures for students pursuing degrees equivalent to an American associate degree or higher. | ||||||
| 4 South Korea reported figures for 1986 and 1996; other countries’ data are for 1987 and 1997. | ||||||
| 5 Ranked in the top 300 in the world, according to the “Academic Ranking of World Universities,” which Shanghai Jiao Tong University began publishing in 2003 | ||||||
| 6 Figures are not adjusted for inflation. | ||||||
| 7 Based on purchasing-power parity | ||||||
| Sources: Chronicle reporting (enrollments, number of institutions, government spending on higher education); CIA World Factbook (GDP) | ||||||
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