Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malta
Malta: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 97.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
97.3%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
57th
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1950
All-time low
2.0%
in 1820
Years of data
40
1820–2023
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malta, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malta recorded 97.3% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2023.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malta peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1820.
Malta ranks 57th of 190 countries on this measure, 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 Malta, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2.0% | — |
| 1825 | 2.5% | +24.2% |
| 1830 | 3.1% | +24.8% |
| 1835 | 3.8% | +24.1% |
| 1840 | 4.7% | +24.1% |
| 1845 | 5.9% | +23.9% |
| 1850 | 7.2% | +23.4% |
| 1855 | 8.9% | +23.1% |
| 1860 | 10.9% | +22.6% |
| 1865 | 13.3% | +22.0% |
| 1870 | 16.1% | +21.2% |
| 1875 | 19.4% | +20.5% |
| 1880 | 23.2% | +19.5% |
| 1885 | 27.5% | +18.4% |
| 1890 | 32.2% | +17.2% |
| 1895 | 42.0% | +30.2% |
| 1900 | 51.7% | +23.2% |
| 1905 | 61.4% | +18.8% |
| 1910 | 71.1% | +15.8% |
| 1915 | 74.7% | +5.1% |
| 1920 | 78.3% | +4.8% |
| 1925 | 82.0% | +4.6% |
| 1930 | 85.6% | +4.4% |
| 1935 | 89.2% | +4.2% |
| 1940 | 92.8% | +4.0% |
| 1945 | 96.4% | +3.9% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +3.7% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 78.0% | -22.0% |
| 1965 | 81.0% | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 88.0% | +8.6% |
| 1975 | 82.0% | -6.8% |
| 1980 | 83.0% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 98.6% | +18.8% |
| 2018 | 98.9% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 98.1% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 97.3% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 97.1% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 97.3% | +0.2% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 97.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 100% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Malta's 97.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.2%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1830s | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 2 |
| 1840s | 5.3% | 4.7% | 5.9% | 2 |
| 1850s | 8.1% | 7.2% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 12.1% | 10.9% | 13.3% | 2 |
| 1870s | 17.8% | 16.1% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 25.4% | 23.2% | 27.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 37.1% | 32.2% | 42.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 56.5% | 51.7% | 61.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 72.9% | 71.1% | 74.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 80.2% | 78.3% | 82.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 87.4% | 85.6% | 89.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 94.6% | 92.8% | 96.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 79.5% | 78.0% | 81.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 85.0% | 82.0% | 88.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 83.0% | 83.0% | 83.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 98.1% | 98.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 97.3% | 97.1% | 97.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More education data for Malta
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4,664 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 70 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,949 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,626 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,424 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 27,337 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0495 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malta?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malta was 97.3% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1820.
- How does Malta rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Malta ranks 57th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malta 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 — 40 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.