Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia
Australia: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
99.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
4th
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1955
All-time low
21.6%
in 1820
Years of data
47
1820–2023
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 99.9% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia peaked at 100.0% in 1955 and was at its lowest, 21.6%, in 1820.
Australia ranks 4th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 21.6% | — |
| 1825 | 23.8% | +10.1% |
| 1830 | 26.1% | +9.8% |
| 1835 | 28.6% | +9.5% |
| 1840 | 31.2% | +9.2% |
| 1845 | 34.0% | +8.8% |
| 1850 | 36.8% | +8.4% |
| 1855 | 39.8% | +8.0% |
| 1860 | 42.8% | +7.6% |
| 1865 | 45.9% | +7.2% |
| 1870 | 49.1% | +6.8% |
| 1875 | 52.2% | +6.4% |
| 1880 | 55.3% | +6.0% |
| 1885 | 58.4% | +5.6% |
| 1890 | 47.9% | -18.1% |
| 1895 | 52.0% | +8.7% |
| 1900 | 56.2% | +8.0% |
| 1905 | 60.4% | +7.4% |
| 1910 | 64.6% | +6.9% |
| 1915 | 68.8% | +6.5% |
| 1920 | 72.9% | +6.1% |
| 1925 | 77.1% | +5.7% |
| 1930 | 81.3% | +5.4% |
| 1935 | 85.5% | +5.1% |
| 1940 | 89.7% | +4.9% |
| 1945 | 93.8% | +4.7% |
| 1950 | 98.0% | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +2.0% |
| 1960 | 82.3% | -17.7% |
| 1965 | 83.9% | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 91.0% | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 97.0% | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 95.6% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 99.9% | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 99.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 99.2% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 99.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 97.6% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 98.1% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 99.9% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.5% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 99.8% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.9% | +0.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 99.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Australia's 99.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 22.7% | 21.6% | 23.8% | 2 |
| 1830s | 27.4% | 26.1% | 28.6% | 2 |
| 1840s | 32.6% | 31.2% | 34.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 38.3% | 36.8% | 39.8% | 2 |
| 1860s | 44.4% | 42.8% | 45.9% | 2 |
| 1870s | 50.6% | 49.1% | 52.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 56.9% | 55.3% | 58.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 50.0% | 47.9% | 52.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 58.3% | 56.2% | 60.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 66.7% | 64.6% | 68.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 75.0% | 72.9% | 77.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 83.4% | 81.3% | 85.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 91.7% | 89.7% | 93.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 99.0% | 98.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 83.1% | 82.3% | 83.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 94.0% | 91.0% | 97.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 95.6% | 99.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 98.9% | 97.6% | 99.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.5% | 99.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 Algeria 100.0% compare
- 2 France 100.0% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 100.0% compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 99.9% compare
- 6 Switzerland 99.9% compare
- 7 United Kingdom 99.7% compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia was 99.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1955.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.6% in 1820.
- How does Australia rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.