Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Cameroon
Cameroon: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 87.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
87.7%
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
139th
of 190 countries
All-time high
89.6%
in 2017
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
47
1820–2019
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Cameroon, 1820–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Cameroon stood at 87.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Cameroon peaked at 89.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Cameroon 139th out of 190 countries with data for 2019, 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 Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1840 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1845 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1850 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1855 | 0.1% | +30.0% |
| 1860 | 0.2% | +30.8% |
| 1865 | 0.2% | +29.4% |
| 1870 | 0.3% | +31.8% |
| 1875 | 0.4% | +31.0% |
| 1880 | 0.5% | +31.6% |
| 1885 | 0.7% | +32.0% |
| 1890 | 0.9% | +30.3% |
| 1895 | 1.1% | +30.2% |
| 1900 | 0.9% | -17.0% |
| 1905 | 1.9% | +105.4% |
| 1910 | 2.5% | +30.4% |
| 1915 | 2.4% | -3.6% |
| 1920 | 2.4% | +1.7% |
| 1925 | 3.1% | +28.7% |
| 1930 | 3.8% | +22.3% |
| 1935 | 8.9% | +133.1% |
| 1940 | 11.4% | +27.5% |
| 1945 | 14.4% | +26.6% |
| 1950 | 18.1% | +25.4% |
| 1955 | 22.5% | +24.1% |
| 1960 | 31.0% | +37.7% |
| 1965 | 54.0% | +74.4% |
| 1970 | 55.0% | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 56.1% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 55.4% | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 54.7% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 60.5% | +10.6% |
| 1976 | 61.9% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 60.8% | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 61.9% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 62.9% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 63.2% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 69.5% | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 69.3% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 67.9% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 85.2% | +25.5% |
| 2017 | 89.6% | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 87.7% | -2.1% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 87.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 97% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 87.7% 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 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1910s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1920s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.4% | 3.8% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 12.9% | 11.4% | 14.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 20.3% | 18.1% | 22.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 42.5% | 31.0% | 54.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 58.6% | 54.7% | 62.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.3% | 63.2% | 69.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 68.6% | 67.9% | 69.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 87.5% | 85.2% | 89.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More education data for Cameroon
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,092 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 611,326 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 321,494 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,873 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.01 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1816 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Cameroon?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Cameroon was 87.7% in 2019, 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 89.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Cameroon rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Cameroon ranks 139th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cameroon 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
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About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.