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
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.
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
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 108.0% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 59,742 (2022)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.48 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.9% (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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.