Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Norway
Norway: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
98.6%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
32nd
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1950
All-time low
51.1%
in 1820
Years of data
57
1820–2024
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Norway, 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 Norway stood at 98.6%.
The figure is down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Norway peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 51.1%, in 1820.
Norway ranks 32nd of 190 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 51.1% | — |
| 1825 | 53.3% | +4.3% |
| 1830 | 55.5% | +4.1% |
| 1835 | 57.7% | +3.9% |
| 1840 | 59.8% | +3.7% |
| 1845 | 62.0% | +3.5% |
| 1850 | 64.0% | +3.4% |
| 1855 | 66.1% | +3.2% |
| 1860 | 68.1% | +3.0% |
| 1865 | 70.0% | +2.8% |
| 1870 | 71.8% | +2.6% |
| 1875 | 73.6% | +2.5% |
| 1880 | 75.3% | +2.3% |
| 1885 | 77.0% | +2.2% |
| 1890 | 78.8% | +2.3% |
| 1895 | 80.5% | +2.2% |
| 1900 | 82.3% | +2.2% |
| 1905 | 84.1% | +2.2% |
| 1910 | 85.8% | +2.1% |
| 1915 | 87.6% | +2.1% |
| 1920 | 89.4% | +2.0% |
| 1925 | 91.2% | +2.0% |
| 1930 | 92.9% | +1.9% |
| 1935 | 94.7% | +1.9% |
| 1940 | 96.5% | +1.9% |
| 1945 | 98.2% | +1.8% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +1.8% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 99.0% | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 95.0% | -4.0% |
| 1970 | 93.1% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +7.4% |
| 1980 | 99.0% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 99.6% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 99.5% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 100.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 99.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 99.8% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.9% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 99.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 99.6% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.0% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 99.0% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.6% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 98.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Norway's 98.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 52.2% | 51.1% | 53.3% | 2 |
| 1830s | 56.6% | 55.5% | 57.7% | 2 |
| 1840s | 60.9% | 59.8% | 62.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 65.1% | 64.0% | 66.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 69.0% | 68.1% | 70.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 72.7% | 71.8% | 73.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 76.2% | 75.3% | 77.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 79.7% | 78.8% | 80.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 83.2% | 82.3% | 84.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 86.7% | 85.8% | 87.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 90.3% | 89.4% | 91.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 93.8% | 92.9% | 94.7% | 2 |
| 1940s | 97.3% | 96.5% | 98.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 97.0% | 95.0% | 99.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.5% | 93.1% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.6% | 99.4% | 100.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 99.5% | 99.2% | 99.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.9% | 98.6% | 99.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 59,473 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1993)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,282 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 80,636 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 469,508 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 434,422 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7841 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.078 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Norway?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Norway was 98.6% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.1% in 1820.
- How does Norway rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Norway ranks 32nd out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 57 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.