The given graph illustrates the percentage of the 18-25 year-olds enrolled in universities in four Asian countries.
Overall, it is evident that Thailand remained the country with the highest university enrollment rate for the majority of the period. All four countries experienced the increase in the percentage of young people attending universities in 1961 to 2011.
In 1961, the proportion of Thai students attending universities was 25, followed by Singapore at 15 percent. In contrast, Malaysia and the Philippines started at 3 and 7 percent, respectively. From 1961 to 1991, Singapore’s enrollment rate fluctuated until it reached around 36 percent. On the other hand, in Thailand, the proportion of getting higher education went down to one fifth. For both Malaysia and Philippines, there was a growing trend for the youth to get higher education, so the proportion reached 15 percent.
From 1991 to 2011, the most significant growth occurred, particularly in Thailand. Thailand’s enrolment rate reached a peak of approximately 45% by 2011, while Philippine’s figures continued its slow rise to just 20%. The Malaysia’s proportion of the youth remained constant at a number of 15% over 20-year period. The Singapore’s enrolment rate after peaking at around 35% in 1991 showed some fluctuations with ending the 2011 at roughly 40%. This demonstrates that while all countries experienced growth, Thailand and Singapore made the most notable progress in university enrollment over the 50-year period.