Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nepal
Nepal: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nepal, 1820–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 98.5% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nepal peaked at 98.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Nepal ranks 34th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 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 Nepal, 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% | — |
| 1895 | 0.0% | — |
| 1900 | 0.0% | — |
| 1905 | 0.0% | — |
| 1910 | 0.0% | — |
| 1915 | 0.0% | — |
| 1920 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1955 | 0.2% | — |
| 1960 | 2.1% | +1158.8% |
| 1965 | 5.0% | +133.6% |
| 1970 | 5.7% | +14.2% |
| 1975 | 11.4% | +100.2% |
| 1980 | 37.9% | +231.2% |
| 1983 | 33.3% | -11.9% |
| 1984 | 35.5% | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 42.4% | +19.4% |
| 1999 | 55.0% | +29.6% |
| 2000 | 61.4% | +11.6% |
| 2003 | 70.6% | +15.0% |
| 2004 | 72.4% | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 98.5% | +36.1% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 98.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 98.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 97.9%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | +1158.8% | 0.2% | 2.1% |
| 1980 | +231.2% | 11.4% | 37.9% |
| 1965 | +133.6% | 2.1% | 5.0% |
| 1950 | -100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1975 | +100.2% | 5.7% | 11.4% |
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% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.6% | 2.1% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.6% | 5.7% | 11.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 37.3% | 33.3% | 42.4% | 4 |
| 1990s | 55.0% | 55.0% | 55.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 68.1% | 61.4% | 72.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 98.5% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nepal?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nepal was 98.5% in 2025, 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Nepal rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Nepal ranks 34th out of 190 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 41 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.