Indonesia Ranks Second Worldwide in Number of Universities

Indonesia has moved into second place globally for the total count of higher‑education institutions. Data from SUN Education shows the country hosts 3,277 universities in 2023, behind only India, which has 5,349. Including all forms of tertiary institutions—academies, institutes, polytechnics—the total rises to more than 4,400 establishments.

The ranking highlights Indonesia’s expanding access to higher education but also raises concerns about maintaining quality, accreditation standards, research output and graduate readiness for a competitive global labor market. Comparisons were drawn with the United States (3,180 universities), China (3,167) and Brazil (2,595).