The bar chart illustrates the proportion of female school-leavers who pursued higher education in five countries—UK, USA, Australia, South Korea, and France—in the years 1980 and 2015.
Overall, the data shows a notable increase in female enrollment in higher education across most countries over the 35-year period, except for Australia, where the percentage remained unchanged.
In 1980, Australia led with nearly 60% of female school-leavers enrolling in higher education, followed closely by France at exactly a half (50%). Meanwhile, the USA and the UK recorded similar figures of around 38% and 35%, respectively. Finally, South Korea accounted for the lowest percentage, at just under 20%.
By 2015, there had been a significant growth in the UK and USA, both reaching nearly 55%–58%. Regarding South Korea, it experienced the most substantial increase, doubling its 1980 figure to a bit less than a third (30%). France also saw a slight rise of its figures to just above 50%, whereas Australia’s percentage remained constant at around 58%, making it the only country without notable growth.