Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 97.6% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
97.6%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
52nd
of 190 countries
All-time high
99.3%
in 2017
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
53
1820–2018
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh, 1820–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2018, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh stood at 97.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh peaked at 99.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Bangladesh 52nd out of 190 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1845 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1850 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1855 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1865 | 0.2% | +33.3% |
| 1870 | 0.2% | +31.2% |
| 1875 | 0.3% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.4% | +32.1% |
| 1885 | 0.5% | +32.4% |
| 1890 | 0.7% | +32.7% |
| 1895 | 0.9% | +33.8% |
| 1900 | 1.1% | +32.2% |
| 1905 | 1.5% | +33.0% |
| 1910 | 2.0% | +32.0% |
| 1915 | 2.7% | +32.7% |
| 1920 | 3.5% | +31.7% |
| 1925 | 4.7% | +31.7% |
| 1930 | 6.1% | +31.0% |
| 1935 | 8.0% | +30.5% |
| 1940 | 10.3% | +29.8% |
| 1945 | 13.3% | +28.7% |
| 1950 | 16.9% | +27.6% |
| 1955 | 20.7% | +22.3% |
| 1960 | 24.5% | +18.2% |
| 1965 | 29.2% | +19.2% |
| 1970 | 32.7% | +12.2% |
| 1973 | 48.7% | +48.8% |
| 1975 | 46.0% | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 50.8% | +10.5% |
| 1977 | 51.4% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 50.0% | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 43.7% | -12.6% |
| 1981 | 49.5% | +13.3% |
| 1983 | 43.7% | -11.6% |
| 1984 | 47.2% | +8.0% |
| 1985 | 46.1% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 46.0% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 45.4% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 58.4% | +28.6% |
| 1989 | 58.5% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 62.1% | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 95.4% | +53.7% |
| 2006 | 95.1% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 87.7% | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 90.5% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 94.6% | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 99.3% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 97.6% | -1.7% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 97.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 97.6% is below the median for South Asia, which is 97.9%, 100% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1930s | 7.0% | 6.1% | 8.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 11.8% | 10.3% | 13.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 18.8% | 16.9% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 26.8% | 24.5% | 29.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 46.6% | 32.7% | 51.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 48.7% | 43.7% | 58.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 62.1% | 62.1% | 62.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.1% | 87.7% | 95.4% | 4 |
| 2010s | 97.2% | 94.6% | 99.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.61 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 94.14 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bangladesh was 97.6% in 2018, 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Bangladesh rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Bangladesh ranks 52nd out of 190 countries with data for 2018.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.
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About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.