The line graph illustrates the number of undergraduate students, measured in thousands, in four countries – Sweden, Spain, Greece and Australia – over a 20-year period from 1995 to 2015.
Overall, Sweden experienced a steady decline in student numbers, whereas Australia showed consistent growth. Spain increased initially and then fell slightly by the end of the period, while Greece showed a gradual rise before stabilising in the final years.
Spain showed a steady rise in undergraduate enrolment, increasing from roughly 270,000 students in 1995 to a peak of about 350,000 in 2010. Although this figure fell slightly to around 320,000 by 2015, it still remained higher than at the beginning of the period. Australia followed a similar upward pattern, starting at just under 100,000 students and climbing consistently to approximately 180,000 by the end of the timeframe. Throughout the period, Spain maintained considerably higher student numbers than Australia.
In contrast, Sweden experienced a clear downward trend. The number of undergraduates fell from about 350,000 in 1995 to around 300,000 in 2000 and continued to decline gradually before dropping sharply to roughly 250,000 in 2015. Greece, however, showed a different trajectory: its student population rose steadily from around 90,000 to nearly 170,000 by 2010, after which the figure levelled off, ending the period at approximately the same level.