Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand
New Zealand: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 97.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand stood at 97.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand peaked at 100.0% in 1920 and was at its lowest, 48.3%, in 1820.
That places New Zealand 54th out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 48.3% | — |
| 1825 | 51.0% | +5.6% |
| 1830 | 53.6% | +5.3% |
| 1835 | 56.3% | +5.0% |
| 1840 | 58.9% | +4.7% |
| 1845 | 61.5% | +4.4% |
| 1850 | 64.0% | +4.1% |
| 1855 | 66.5% | +3.8% |
| 1860 | 68.9% | +3.6% |
| 1865 | 71.2% | +3.3% |
| 1870 | 73.3% | +3.1% |
| 1875 | 75.4% | +2.8% |
| 1880 | 77.4% | +2.6% |
| 1885 | 79.3% | +2.4% |
| 1890 | 81.0% | +2.2% |
| 1895 | 82.7% | +2.0% |
| 1900 | 82.3% | -0.4% |
| 1905 | 86.6% | +5.2% |
| 1910 | 93.6% | +8.1% |
| 1915 | 90.6% | -3.2% |
| 1920 | 100.0% | +10.3% |
| 1925 | 90.5% | -9.5% |
| 1930 | 77.3% | -14.6% |
| 1935 | 76.1% | -1.5% |
| 1940 | 72.7% | -4.5% |
| 1945 | 74.9% | +3.0% |
| 1950 | 95.0% | +26.9% |
| 1955 | 92.3% | -2.8% |
| 1960 | 77.0% | -16.6% |
| 1965 | 78.0% | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 100.0% | +28.2% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.5% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 99.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.1% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 98.8% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 97.6% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 97.5% | -0.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 97.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 97.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +28.2% | 78.0% | 100.0% |
| 1950 | +26.9% | 74.9% | 95.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 49.6% | 48.3% | 51.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 55.0% | 53.6% | 56.3% | 2 |
| 1840s | 60.2% | 58.9% | 61.5% | 2 |
| 1850s | 65.3% | 64.0% | 66.5% | 2 |
| 1860s | 70.0% | 68.9% | 71.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 74.4% | 73.3% | 75.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 78.3% | 77.4% | 79.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 81.8% | 81.0% | 82.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 84.5% | 82.3% | 86.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 92.1% | 90.6% | 93.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 95.3% | 90.5% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 76.7% | 76.1% | 77.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 73.8% | 72.7% | 74.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 93.7% | 92.3% | 95.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 77.5% | 77.0% | 78.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.0% | 98.8% | 99.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 98.1% | 97.5% | 98.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.48 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.38 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36,426 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,020 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 56,552 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand was 97.5% in 2024, 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1920.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.3% in 1820.
- How does New Zealand rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- New Zealand ranks 54th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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 — 45 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.