Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Mali
Mali: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 62.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
62.8%
World rank
178th
of 190 countries
All-time high
62.8%
in 2023
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
51
1820–2023
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Mali, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mali recorded 62.8% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2023. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Mali peaked at 62.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Mali 178th out of 190 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Mali, 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% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1900 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1905 | 0.1% | +66.7% |
| 1910 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1915 | 0.1% | +42.9% |
| 1920 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1925 | 0.2% | +53.3% |
| 1930 | 0.3% | +43.5% |
| 1935 | 0.5% | +45.5% |
| 1940 | 0.7% | +41.7% |
| 1945 | 1.0% | +42.6% |
| 1950 | 1.4% | +42.3% |
| 1955 | 2.3% | +63.8% |
| 1960 | 2.8% | +21.7% |
| 1965 | 6.9% | +150.2% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | +59.9% |
| 1971 | 12.1% | +10.4% |
| 1975 | 12.1% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 11.9% | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 33.4% | +181.1% |
| 2002 | 41.4% | +23.8% |
| 2003 | 41.7% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 44.2% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 47.3% | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 48.9% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 51.1% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 57.6% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 58.8% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 59.9% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 57.9% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 55.4% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 52.8% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 53.8% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 59.2% | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 51.7% | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 62.8% | +21.4% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 62.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 68.3%, 92% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Mali's 62.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 73% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
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 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 4.8% | 2.8% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 11.8% | 11.0% | 12.1% | 3 |
| 1980s | 11.9% | 11.9% | 11.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.4% | 33.4% | 33.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 47.4% | 41.4% | 57.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 56.2% | 51.7% | 59.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 62.8% | 62.8% | 62.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More education data for Mali
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 80,395 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 512,692 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 82,198 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 83,509 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.31 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.97 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.42 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1251 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Mali?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Mali was 62.8% 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 Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 62.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Mali rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Mali ranks 178th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mali 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 — 51 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.