Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France
France: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 100.0% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France, 1820–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France is 100.0%, measured in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France peaked at 100.0% in 1875 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 1820.
France ranks 2nd of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 11.2% | — |
| 1825 | 12.7% | +12.6% |
| 1830 | 14.2% | +12.3% |
| 1835 | 15.9% | +12.2% |
| 1840 | 17.8% | +11.8% |
| 1845 | 19.9% | +11.5% |
| 1850 | 22.1% | +11.3% |
| 1855 | 24.6% | +10.9% |
| 1860 | 27.1% | +10.5% |
| 1865 | 29.9% | +10.2% |
| 1870 | 65.0% | +117.2% |
| 1875 | 100.0% | +54.0% |
| 1880 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 97.0% | -3.0% |
| 1965 | 98.0% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 94.8% | -3.3% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 96.5% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 96.5% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 96.2% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 96.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 99.5% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 99.2% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 98.7% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 99.9% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 98.8% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 99.6% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 100.0% | +0.4% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 100.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- France's 100.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | +117.2% | 29.9% | 65.0% |
| 1875 | +54.0% | 65.0% | 100.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 11.9% | 11.2% | 12.7% | 2 |
| 1830s | 15.1% | 14.2% | 15.9% | 2 |
| 1840s | 18.9% | 17.8% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 1850s | 23.4% | 22.1% | 24.6% | 2 |
| 1860s | 28.5% | 27.1% | 29.9% | 2 |
| 1870s | 82.5% | 65.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 97.5% | 97.0% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.4% | 94.8% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 97.4% | 96.2% | 99.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 99.5% | 98.7% | 100.0% | 7 |
Countries ranked near France
- 1 Algeria 100.0% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 100.0% compare
- 4 Australia 99.9% compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 99.9% compare
More education data for France
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0602 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in France was 100.0% in 2016, 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1875.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 1820.
- How does France rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- France ranks 2nd out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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 — 46 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.