Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy
Italy: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 97.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy, 1820–2023
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 Italy is 97.8%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy peaked at 100.0% in 1940 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1820.
That places Italy 49th out of 190 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 11.1% | 10.2% | 11.8% | 2 |
| 1830s | 14.7% | 13.7% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 1840s | 19.2% | 18.0% | 20.5% | 2 |
| 1850s | 24.8% | 23.3% | 26.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 31.4% | 29.6% | 33.1% | 2 |
| 1870s | 48.3% | 43.9% | 52.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 58.4% | 57.1% | 59.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 62.3% | 61.4% | 63.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 67.8% | 66.0% | 69.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 77.2% | 76.8% | 77.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 81.8% | 75.6% | 87.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 96.8% | 94.1% | 99.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 95.8% | 91.6% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 92.7% | 90.9% | 94.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 99.9% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 99.5% | 99.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 97.2% | 97.2% | 97.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 98.2% | 99.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 97.9% | 97.4% | 98.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 11.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 103.6% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 250,961 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy was 97.8% in 2023, 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1940.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1820.
- How does Italy rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Italy ranks 49th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 45 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.