Data report
Europe sends the most people to university, North America earns 2.5 times as much per head, and the two rankings are not the same
Income per head in North America is $86,308 against $34,604 in Europe — a gap of 2.5 times between the two richest regions on earth. On tertiary enrolment the order reverses: Europe leads at 84.9% against 79.0% in North America. Software is sold into the first ranking and built by the second.
Key takeaways
4 findings- 01GDP per capita is $86,308 in North America and $1,673 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- 02Europe leads on tertiary enrolment at 84.9% and North America follows at 79.0%.
- 03The richest region earns 52 times the income per head of the poorest.
- 04Internet use and income do not rank in the same order, which is why adoption forecasts built on GDP alone tend to miss.
Income per head, by region
Data points 1–7- 01
North America: $86,308 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 02
Europe: $34,604 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 03
Asia-Pacific: $14,077 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 04
Latin America: $11,095 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 05
The Middle East and North Africa: $6,202 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 06
South Asia: $2,705 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 07
Sub-Saharan Africa: $1,673 GDP per capita in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
How many people reach higher education
Data points 8–15- 08
Europe: tertiary enrolment at 84.9% of the relevant age group in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 09
North America: tertiary enrolment at 79.0% of the relevant age group in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 10
Asia-Pacific: tertiary enrolment at 63.3% of the relevant age group in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 11
Latin America: tertiary enrolment at 58.9% of the relevant age group in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 12
South Asia: tertiary enrolment at 32.8% of the relevant age group in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 13
The Middle East and North Africa: tertiary enrolment at 29.7% of the relevant age group in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 14
Sub-Saharan Africa: tertiary enrolment at 9.3% of the relevant age group in 2021. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 15
The spread between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa is 75.6 points. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
Where the two rankings disagree
Data points 16–22- 16
North America ranks 1 of 7 on income per head and 2 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
- 17
Europe ranks 2 of 7 on income per head and 1 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
- 18
Asia-Pacific ranks 3 of 7 on income per head and 3 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
- 19
Latin America ranks 4 of 7 on income per head and 4 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
- 20
The Middle East and North Africa ranks 5 of 7 on income per head and 6 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
- 21
South Asia ranks 6 of 7 on income per head and 5 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
- 22
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7 of 7 on income per head and 7 on tertiary enrolment. (World Bank, 2025)Derived
The countries with the highest enrolment
Data points 23–32- 23
Greece: tertiary enrolment at 165.1% in 2023. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 24
Macao SAR, China: tertiary enrolment at 141.9% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 25
Cyprus: tertiary enrolment at 120.9% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 26
Hong Kong SAR, China: tertiary enrolment at 120.1% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 27
Korea, Rep.: tertiary enrolment at 111.9% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 28
Finland: tertiary enrolment at 110.3% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 29
Chile: tertiary enrolment at 110.2% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 30
Australia: tertiary enrolment at 108.4% in 2024. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 31
Argentina: tertiary enrolment at 107.8% in 2023. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
- 32
Turkiye: tertiary enrolment at 105.9% in 2023. (World Bank, 2024)Verified
Internet use for the same regions
Data points 33–39- 33
North America: 95.6% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 34
Europe: 92.4% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 35
Asia-Pacific: 88.4% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 36
Latin America: 83.7% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 37
South Asia: 67.8% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 38
The Middle East and North Africa: 63.7% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
- 39
Sub-Saharan Africa: 35.7% of the population online in 2025. (World Bank, 2025)Verified
Methodology
Figures come from the World Bank World Development Indicators, series NY.GDP.PCAP.CD (GDP per capita in current US dollars), SE.TER.ENRR (gross tertiary enrolment ratio) and IT.NET.USER.ZS (individuals using the internet), last updated 2026-07-13. A gross enrolment ratio counts everyone enrolled regardless of age, so it can exceed 100% and is a measure of participation rather than of attainment. The comparison of the two rankings is ours; the figures are not.
Every data point carries one of three labels. Verified means the figure was read from the named primary source. Directional means sources agree on the trend but measure it differently. Single source means one publisher reported it and nobody has corroborated it. We would rather label a number honestly than round it into confidence it has not earned.
Sources & references
3 datasets cited- World Bank — GDP per capita (current US$) (
NY.GDP.PCAP.CD). Period 2025, published 2026-07-13. View the dataset.
World Development Indicators. Regional figures are the World Bank aggregate for that region, which weights every country in it by population unless the indicator says otherwise. - World Bank — School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) (
SE.TER.ENRR). Period 2024, published 2026-07-13. View the dataset.
World Development Indicators. Regional figures are the World Bank aggregate for that region, which weights every country in it by population unless the indicator says otherwise. - World Bank — Individuals using the Internet (% of population) (
IT.NET.USER.ZS). Period 2025, published 2026-07-13. View the dataset.
World Development Indicators. Regional figures are the World Bank aggregate for that region, which weights every country in it by population unless the indicator says otherwise.
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Cite this report
The Knowledge Engineers. (2026, 7 September 2026). The Wealth and Skills Behind the Software Market. https://theknowledgeengineers.com/reports/wealth-and-skills-by-region
The Knowledge Engineers. “The Wealth and Skills Behind the Software Market.” The Knowledge Engineers, 7 September 2026, https://theknowledgeengineers.com/reports/wealth-and-skills-by-region.
The Knowledge Engineers. “The Wealth and Skills Behind the Software Market.” 7 September 2026. https://theknowledgeengineers.com/reports/wealth-and-skills-by-region.