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.
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
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 61.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 103.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 229,471 (2013)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.64 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.5% (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
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.