Lifelong Learning Series: Age Participation Index for Scotland

The Age Participation Index (API) measures the percentage of young Scots entering higher education in the UK for the first time each year. This dataset is produced by the Scottish Government and designated as National Statistics. The record was last updated on 2026-07-08.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in higher education entry rates for Scottish youth based on the annual participation index.
• Model demographic or regional factors influencing university enrollment based on the participation metric.
• Benchmark Scotland's higher education participation against other UK regions using the index data.
• Forecast future demand for higher education places based on historical participation trends.

Strengths

• Data is designated as National Statistics, indicating a formal quality assurance process.
• Produced by the authoritative source agency, the Scottish Government.
• Last updated date is explicitly provided (2026-07-08).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Scottish Government

Collection Method

Likely compiled from administrative records on higher education entrants.

Time Range

Annual data, but specific years are not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:54.621754; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Scotland (measuring entry to higher education anywhere in the UK)