# European higher education gender trends

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/european-higher-education-gender-trends
> Updated: 2026-08-23T19:55:59.000Z. Sources: 37. Developments: 2.

Data from Eurostat regarding 2024 European higher education indicates that women maintain a majority in both enrollment and graduation rates. Within the European Union, approximately 19.1 million people are enrolled in higher education, with the majority pursuing bachelor’s degrees (59%), followed by master’s degrees (29.4%) and doctoral studies (3.8%).

While women hold an advantage in overall participation, significant gender disparities remain in specific disciplines. For instance, in Information Technology, male graduates outnumber female graduates by nearly four to one. The most common fields of study across the EU are business, administration, and law, which represent 22% of all students and approximately one in four awarded degrees.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-23: European higher education shows female dominance in graduation rates

Eurostat 2024 data shows women dominate European higher education graduation rates, though a major gender gap remains in IT fields.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-higher-education-shows-female-dominance-in-graduation-rates

### 2026-08-22: Greece shows bond market resilience and shifting education trends

Greek bonds show resilience against global market pressures, while Eurostat reports women comprise 58% of EU graduates, dominating fields like law and business.

32 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/eurostat-women-comprise-58-of-eu-higher-education-graduates

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Cite as: European higher education gender trends. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/european-higher-education-gender-trends