Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan
Bhutan: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 93.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan, 1978–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 93.4% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan peaked at 99.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1978.
That places Bhutan 113th out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 13.3% | — |
| 1979 | 15.6% | +17.2% |
| 1998 | 52.4% | +236.9% |
| 1999 | 53.7% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 56.5% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 59.3% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 73.0% | +23.3% |
| 2006 | 78.7% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 87.3% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 92.8% | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 95.3% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 95.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 96.0% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 94.0% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 92.3% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 91.7% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 91.4% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 94.2% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 99.2% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 88.2% | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 92.6% | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 93.4% | +0.9% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 93.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 93.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 97.9%, 95% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +236.9% | 15.6% | 52.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.4% | 13.3% | 15.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 53.1% | 52.4% | 53.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 74.6% | 56.5% | 92.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 93.8% | 91.4% | 96.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 93.7% | 88.2% | 99.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Bhutan was 93.4% in 2024, 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 99.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1978.
- How does Bhutan rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Bhutan ranks 113th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 — 23 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.