Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Germany
Germany: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Germany, 1820–2022
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 Germany is 98.5%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Germany peaked at 100.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 20.7%, in 1820.
Germany ranks 38th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 21.9% | 20.7% | 23.1% | 2 |
| 1830s | 27.0% | 25.7% | 28.4% | 2 |
| 1840s | 32.9% | 31.3% | 34.4% | 2 |
| 1850s | 39.3% | 37.6% | 41.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 46.2% | 44.4% | 47.9% | 2 |
| 1870s | 52.6% | 51.0% | 54.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 57.5% | 55.0% | 60.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 58.7% | 58.2% | 59.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 58.0% | 56.9% | 59.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 89.4% | 88.8% | 90.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 92.1% | 91.4% | 92.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 94.8% | 94.1% | 95.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 97.4% | 96.8% | 98.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 89.1% | 78.7% | 99.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 87.9% | 83.8% | 92.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 83.0% | 83.0% | 83.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.3% | 97.9% | 98.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 98.5% | 99.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.8% | 98.5% | 99.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More education data for Germany
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 13.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 283,851 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.45 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Germany?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Germany was 98.5% in 2022, 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.7% in 1820.
- How does Germany rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Germany ranks 38th out of 190 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 54 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.