THE ranking (Times Higher Education)  2021 edition, released in Winter 2020, offers encouraging data and KPIs on the Italian university system as a whole.

Considering the top 10 European countries in the last Times Higher Education 2021 World University Rankings (WUR), it is interesting to consider the sum of ranked HEIs and the arithmetic ratio between that sum and the number of inhabitants of those countries.

Not surprisingly, the UK comes first with 90 institutions within the first 1,000, with a 0,74 m inhabitants / ranked institutions ratio. Germany, also, is doing a great job. With 7 institutions in the first 100 positions, the German university system enhances its positioning worldwide year after year.

Though not a member of the EU, tiny Switzerland can boast 3 top 100 institutions and a staggering 0.78 ratio of ranked institutions per million inhabitants.

Much less obviously, Italy comes second, with 49 ranked HEIs, and an encouraging 1,23 ratio.

Italy is also second in Europe, after the UK, among the “big” nations (UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) as far as the ratio is concerned.

This is a sign that, overall, the system looks healthy, at least in the THE ranking, though overall the country performers well in ARWU also – a little worse in QS.

Regarding quality, Italy is 9th, penalised by the absence of the top 100 institutions.

 

The 2021 adapted chart:

 

THE European countries	2021 Top 100	Population (million)	M. population / quantity	2021 quantity	2021 quality
UK	18	66,6	0,74	90	1
Germany	7	83,0	1,73	48	2
Netherlands	3	17,3	1,33	13	3
Switzerland	3	8,6	0,78	11	4
France	2	67	2,03	33	5
Belgium	2	11,5	1,43	8	6
Denmark	1	5,8	0,82	7	7
Sweden	1	10,2	0,85	12	8
Italy	0	60,4	1,23	49	9
Spain	0	46,9	1,30	36	10

 

Check the whole chart c/o the following link: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings