Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Benin
Benin: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 87.6% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
87.6%
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
140th
of 190 countries
All-time high
90.0%
in 2017
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
56
1820–2022
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Benin, 1820–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Benin recorded 87.6% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2022.
That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Benin peaked at 90.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Benin 140th out of 190 countries with data for 2022, 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 Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1845 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1855 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1865 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1870 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1875 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 0.2% | +33.3% |
| 1890 | 0.3% | +30.0% |
| 1895 | 0.3% | +30.8% |
| 1900 | 0.4% | +29.4% |
| 1905 | 0.6% | +31.8% |
| 1910 | 0.8% | +29.3% |
| 1915 | 1.0% | +30.7% |
| 1920 | 1.3% | +29.6% |
| 1925 | 1.6% | +29.9% |
| 1930 | 2.1% | +29.7% |
| 1935 | 2.8% | +29.9% |
| 1940 | 3.6% | +29.1% |
| 1945 | 4.6% | +29.0% |
| 1950 | 6.0% | +28.5% |
| 1955 | 7.6% | +28.1% |
| 1960 | 11.4% | +50.0% |
| 1965 | 16.0% | +40.0% |
| 1970 | 19.8% | +23.6% |
| 1975 | 26.1% | +32.0% |
| 1980 | 30.8% | +18.2% |
| 1984 | 31.0% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 31.7% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 30.7% | -3.2% |
| 1988 | 30.4% | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 30.8% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 25.0% | -18.9% |
| 1992 | 30.2% | +21.0% |
| 1993 | 33.3% | +10.3% |
| 1994 | 35.5% | +6.5% |
| 1995 | 38.0% | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 40.5% | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 44.2% | +8.9% |
| 2006 | 73.3% | +65.9% |
| 2008 | 78.9% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 85.1% | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 87.3% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 88.2% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 90.0% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 87.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 82.7% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 82.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 84.9% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 87.6% | +3.1% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 87.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 97% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 87.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 1.0× the median. (46 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% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 4.1% | 3.6% | 4.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 6.8% | 6.0% | 7.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 13.7% | 11.4% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 22.9% | 19.8% | 26.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 30.9% | 30.4% | 31.7% | 6 |
| 1990s | 35.2% | 25.0% | 44.2% | 7 |
| 2000s | 79.1% | 73.3% | 85.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 87.1% | 82.7% | 90.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 84.9% | 82.3% | 87.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 137 Tonga 87.9% compare
- 138 Puerto Rico 87.8% compare
- 139 Cameroon 87.7% compare
- 141 Ukraine 87.4% compare
- 142 Philippines 87.2% compare
- 143 Cote d'Ivoire 86.8% compare
More education data for Benin
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 57,296 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 209,295 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,495 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,746 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.40 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1743 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Benin?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Benin was 87.6% in 2022, 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 90.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Benin rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Benin ranks 140th out of 190 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin 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.