Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda
Rwanda: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda, 1973–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda stood at 98.1%.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.4% over five years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda peaked at 99.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 43.4%, in 1975.
That places Rwanda 46th out of 190 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 46.1% | — |
| 1974 | 44.5% | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 43.4% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 47.9% | +10.3% |
| 1978 | 50.7% | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 65.9% | +30.2% |
| 2002 | 83.7% | +27.0% |
| 2003 | 88.3% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 99.5% | +12.8% |
| 2017 | 98.9% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 98.5% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 98.1% | -0.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 98.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 68.3%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 98.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 46.5% | 43.4% | 50.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 65.9% | 65.9% | 65.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 86.0% | 83.7% | 88.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 98.8% | 98.1% | 99.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More education data for Rwanda
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34,324 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 795,920 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 305,636 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 299,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 901,617 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2109 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Rwanda was 98.1% in 2019, 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.4% in 1975.
- How does Rwanda rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Rwanda ranks 46th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
- Where does this Rwanda 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
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.