GDP increases along with expanded higher education opportunity

A study of the impact of expanding higher education opportunity found even greater positive impact than the researchers expected. Utilizing six decades of data from UNESCO's World Higher Education Database of 78 countries, per capita GDP grew a minimum of 4.7 percent within 5 years of doubling the number of higher education institutions. For those who might question the investment in higher education, the net increase far outweighed the financial outlay of expanding educational opportunity. The accompanying improvements that support increased GDP include workforce enhancement, improved research and innovation, and pro-democracy views among citizens.