Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya
Libya: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 94.9% in 1983. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya, 1820–1983
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 1983, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya stood at 94.9%. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 33.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya peaked at 94.9% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Libya 99th out of 190 countries with data for 1983, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1870 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1875 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1890 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1895 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1900 | 0.2% | +41.7% |
| 1905 | 0.2% | +29.4% |
| 1910 | 0.3% | +36.4% |
| 1915 | 0.4% | +36.7% |
| 1920 | 0.6% | +36.6% |
| 1925 | 0.8% | +33.9% |
| 1930 | 1.0% | +36.0% |
| 1935 | 1.4% | +34.3% |
| 1940 | 1.9% | +35.0% |
| 1945 | 2.5% | +34.6% |
| 1950 | 3.3% | +34.1% |
| 1955 | 10.1% | +203.3% |
| 1960 | 19.0% | +87.9% |
| 1965 | 36.3% | +91.0% |
| 1970 | 70.3% | +93.5% |
| 1971 | 53.7% | -23.7% |
| 1972 | 62.8% | +17.0% |
| 1973 | 71.1% | +13.3% |
| 1974 | 79.7% | +12.0% |
| 1975 | 82.9% | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 89.3% | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 90.1% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 89.7% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 80.7% | -10.1% |
| 1981 | 90.6% | +12.4% |
| 1983 | 94.9% | +4.8% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 94.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.1%, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Libya's 94.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.2%, 99% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | +203.3% | 3.3% | 10.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1950s | 6.7% | 3.3% | 10.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 27.7% | 19.0% | 36.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 76.6% | 53.7% | 90.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 88.7% | 80.7% | 94.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More education data for Libya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 30,673 (1983)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 69,173 (1983)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 11,554 (2006)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 10,692 (2006)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 732,614 (2006)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 755,338 (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.8 % change on previous year (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1263 units per person (2006)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Libya was 94.9% in 1983, 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 Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 94.9% in 1983.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Libya rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Libya ranks 99th out of 190 countries with data for 1983.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Libya 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 — 42 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.