Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Poland
Poland: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
98.6%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
33rd
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1950
All-time low
21.1%
in 1820
Years of data
51
1820–2020
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Poland, 1820–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Poland recorded 98.6% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Poland peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 1820.
That places Poland 33rd out of 190 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Poland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 21.1% | — |
| 1825 | 22.8% | +7.9% |
| 1830 | 24.6% | +7.8% |
| 1835 | 26.4% | +7.6% |
| 1840 | 28.4% | +7.3% |
| 1845 | 30.4% | +7.2% |
| 1850 | 32.5% | +7.0% |
| 1855 | 34.7% | +6.7% |
| 1860 | 37.0% | +6.5% |
| 1865 | 39.3% | +6.3% |
| 1870 | 41.6% | +6.0% |
| 1875 | 44.0% | +5.8% |
| 1880 | 46.5% | +5.5% |
| 1885 | 48.9% | +5.3% |
| 1890 | 51.4% | +5.0% |
| 1895 | 53.9% | +4.8% |
| 1900 | 56.3% | +4.5% |
| 1905 | 58.7% | +4.3% |
| 1910 | 61.1% | +4.1% |
| 1915 | 63.4% | +3.8% |
| 1920 | 65.7% | +3.6% |
| 1925 | 67.9% | +3.3% |
| 1930 | 74.3% | +9.5% |
| 1935 | 80.7% | +8.6% |
| 1940 | 87.2% | +8.0% |
| 1945 | 93.6% | +7.4% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +6.9% |
| 1955 | 86.9% | -13.1% |
| 1960 | 90.4% | +4.0% |
| 1965 | 87.0% | -3.7% |
| 1970 | 95.0% | +9.2% |
| 1975 | 96.0% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 98.0% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 99.0% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 97.9% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 97.4% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 97.0% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 97.2% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 96.8% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 96.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 96.2% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 95.8% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 95.1% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 95.7% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 96.8% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | +1.8% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 98.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Poland'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 | 22.0% | 21.1% | 22.8% | 2 |
| 1830s | 25.5% | 24.6% | 26.4% | 2 |
| 1840s | 29.4% | 28.4% | 30.4% | 2 |
| 1850s | 33.6% | 32.5% | 34.7% | 2 |
| 1860s | 38.1% | 37.0% | 39.3% | 2 |
| 1870s | 42.8% | 41.6% | 44.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 47.7% | 46.5% | 48.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 52.6% | 51.4% | 53.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 57.5% | 56.3% | 58.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 62.2% | 61.1% | 63.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 66.8% | 65.7% | 67.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 77.5% | 74.3% | 80.7% | 2 |
| 1940s | 90.4% | 87.2% | 93.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 93.5% | 86.9% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 88.7% | 87.0% | 90.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 95.5% | 95.0% | 96.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 98.0% | 98.0% | 98.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.4% | 97.0% | 99.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 96.3% | 95.1% | 97.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 98.6% | 98.6% | 98.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More education data for Poland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 322,900 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,398 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 776,213 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 735,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.60 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Poland?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Poland was 98.6% in 2020, 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 1820.
- How does Poland rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Poland ranks 33rd out of 190 countries with data for 2020.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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
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About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.