Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 33.7% in 1999. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1820–1999
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 33.7% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 1999.
The figure is down 38.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 63.9% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 188th of 190 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | — |
| 1895 | 0.0% | — |
| 1900 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1905 | 0.1% | +100.0% |
| 1910 | 0.1% | +83.3% |
| 1915 | 0.2% | +63.6% |
| 1920 | 0.3% | +66.7% |
| 1925 | 0.5% | +63.3% |
| 1930 | 0.8% | +57.1% |
| 1935 | 1.2% | +54.5% |
| 1940 | 1.8% | +52.9% |
| 1945 | 2.8% | +51.6% |
| 1950 | 4.1% | +48.9% |
| 1955 | 4.4% | +6.8% |
| 1960 | 28.8% | +555.8% |
| 1965 | 43.9% | +52.6% |
| 1970 | 50.0% | +13.8% |
| 1971 | 54.3% | +8.6% |
| 1972 | 53.4% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 56.9% | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 58.9% | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 62.1% | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 62.7% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 63.9% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 54.6% | -14.7% |
| 1991 | 51.6% | -5.5% |
| 1992 | 50.8% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 50.3% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 50.6% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 53.4% | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 33.7% | -37.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 33.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 68.3%, 49% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 33.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 39% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | +555.8% | 4.4% | 28.8% |
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 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 36.4% | 28.8% | 43.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 54.7% | 50.0% | 58.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 60.8% | 54.6% | 63.9% | 4 |
| 1990s | 48.4% | 33.7% | 53.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 185 Cape Verde 48.7% compare
- 186 Equatorial Guinea 34.8% compare
- 187 Tokelau 34.1%
- 189 Afghanistan 15.6% compare
- 190 Somalia 11.2% compare
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 621,578 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.99 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,532 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 427,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.93 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.15 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1999 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Democratic Republic of Congo was 33.7% in 1999, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 1984.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 188th out of 190 countries with data for 1999.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.