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
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.
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
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 114.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 121,453 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.26 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 109.5% (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
CSV · JSON — 47 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.