Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Namibia
Namibia: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.7% in 2012. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Namibia, 1989–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2012, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Namibia stood at 98.7%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Namibia peaked at 98.7% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 88.8%, in 1989.
That places Namibia 29th out of 190 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 88.8% | 88.8% | 88.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 91.5% | 88.9% | 93.8% | 4 |
| 2000s | 92.0% | 90.0% | 95.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.2% | 95.9% | 98.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More education data for Namibia
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 59.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 120.7% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 21,240 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 117.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Namibia?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Namibia was 98.7% in 2012, 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2012.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 88.8% in 1989.
- How does Namibia rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Namibia ranks 29th out of 190 countries with data for 2012.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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.
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About this data
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.