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.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 10.2% | — |
| 1825 | 11.8% | +15.6% |
| 1830 | 13.7% | +15.3% |
| 1835 | 15.7% | +14.9% |
| 1840 | 18.0% | +14.5% |
| 1845 | 20.5% | +14.1% |
| 1850 | 23.3% | +13.6% |
| 1855 | 26.3% | +13.0% |
| 1860 | 29.6% | +12.5% |
| 1865 | 33.1% | +11.8% |
| 1870 | 43.9% | +32.5% |
| 1875 | 52.7% | +19.9% |
| 1880 | 57.1% | +8.5% |
| 1885 | 59.7% | +4.4% |
| 1890 | 61.4% | +2.9% |
| 1895 | 63.1% | +2.7% |
| 1900 | 66.0% | +4.6% |
| 1905 | 69.6% | +5.3% |
| 1910 | 76.8% | +10.4% |
| 1915 | 77.6% | +1.1% |
| 1920 | 87.9% | +13.3% |
| 1925 | 75.6% | -14.0% |
| 1930 | 94.1% | +24.4% |
| 1935 | 99.6% | +5.9% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +0.4% |
| 1945 | 91.6% | -8.4% |
| 1950 | 94.5% | +3.1% |
| 1955 | 90.9% | -3.8% |
| 1960 | 100.0% | +10.0% |
| 1965 | 99.9% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 100.0% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 99.0% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 97.2% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 99.6% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 99.1% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 98.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 98.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 98.2% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 98.2% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 97.8% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 97.4% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 97.8% | +0.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 97.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Italy's 97.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 100% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Italy 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 | +32.5% | 33.1% | 43.9% |
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
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (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
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.