The gap between the numbers of rich and poor students applying to university has narrowed, with disadvantaged teenagers more likely than ever before to want to enrol.

New figures, published by admissions service Ucas, show that the application rates of 18-year-olds living in poor areas in all four countries of the UK have increased to the highest levels recorded.

But while the gap between affluent would-be students and their less-well-off peers is closing, the wealthiest are still more than twice as likely to apply.

The gulf between men and women planning to study for a degree is widening, too. The difference in application rates between men and women is at its highest-ever level. In total, almost 100,000 more women have applied to go to university this year than men. In England alone, young women are now 36% more likely to apply than young men.

Ucas chief Mary Curnock Cook has previously warned that there is a “disquieting” gap between men and women going to university, which has been growing since the 1990s and continues to worsen.

The new statistics reveal the numbers of people from the UK and abroad who submitted applications by the deadline of 15 January.

Overall, there was a 2% increase in applications, compared to the same point last year, with 592,290 people applying.

Among UK applicants, there was a 1% rise, according to Ucas. In England alone, the number applying was also up 1%.

Curnock Cook said that demand for university places is continuing to increase. However, she noted that the growth has slowed this year.

“Demand for UK higher education, notably from younger people and from EU countries, has continued to rise in 2015. It is heartening to see the gap between rich and poor continue to narrow.

“Nevertheless, demand has grown more slowly this year and has fallen for mature students. This perhaps reflects improved employment prospects in the UK,” she said.

A breakdown of the figures show that 21% of disadvantaged 18-year-olds in England applied this year, with this group 3% more likely to submit an application than in 2014.

“Differences in application rates between advantaged and disadvantaged areas have reduced over the past decade, reduced further in 2015 and were at the lowest level recorded,” Ucas said.

Overall, the richest 18-year-olds in the UK are now 2.4 times more likely to want to go to university than the poorest; in 2006, they were 3.7 times more likely to submit an application.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of social mobility charity the Sutton Trust, said: “The continuing growth in disadvantaged applicants is welcome, and will narrow the access gap. Nevertheless, there is still a significant gap, particularly to the most selective universities, and a worrying dip this year in mature applicants.”

On a visit to Kingston University on Friday, business secretary Vince Cable is expected to say that the figures show the government is making significant progress in breaking down barriers to higher education, and that the controversial move to treble tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year has not deterred poorer students from applying.

“There were many who said the reform of student finance would discourage young people from going to university. The opposite has occurred; numbers have grown, in particular those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Our reforms now also mean universities are well funded for the future. At the same time, we have expanded vocational training, particularly apprenticeships, which have reached two million. This is a record to be celebrated.”