Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sweden
Sweden: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
99.4%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
16th
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1950
All-time low
40.7%
in 1820
Years of data
50
1820–2024
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sweden, 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 Sweden stood at 99.4%.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sweden peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 40.7%, in 1820.
Sweden ranks 16th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 40.7% | — |
| 1825 | 43.3% | +6.4% |
| 1830 | 46.0% | +6.1% |
| 1835 | 48.6% | +5.8% |
| 1840 | 51.3% | +5.5% |
| 1845 | 54.0% | +5.2% |
| 1850 | 56.7% | +4.9% |
| 1855 | 58.8% | +3.8% |
| 1860 | 61.0% | +3.7% |
| 1865 | 63.2% | +3.6% |
| 1870 | 65.3% | +3.4% |
| 1875 | 67.5% | +3.3% |
| 1880 | 69.7% | +3.2% |
| 1885 | 71.8% | +3.1% |
| 1890 | 74.0% | +3.0% |
| 1895 | 76.2% | +2.9% |
| 1900 | 78.3% | +2.8% |
| 1905 | 80.5% | +2.8% |
| 1910 | 82.7% | +2.7% |
| 1915 | 84.8% | +2.6% |
| 1920 | 87.0% | +2.6% |
| 1925 | 89.2% | +2.5% |
| 1930 | 91.3% | +2.4% |
| 1935 | 93.5% | +2.4% |
| 1940 | 95.7% | +2.3% |
| 1945 | 97.8% | +2.3% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +2.2% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 95.0% | -5.0% |
| 1965 | 98.0% | +3.1% |
| 1970 | 93.1% | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +7.4% |
| 1980 | 95.7% | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 99.4% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 99.4% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.3% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.9% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 97.4% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 99.3% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 99.1% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 98.7% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 99.2% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 99.5% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 99.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 99.4% | -0.2% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 99.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 99.4% 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 | 42.0% | 40.7% | 43.3% | 2 |
| 1830s | 47.3% | 46.0% | 48.6% | 2 |
| 1840s | 52.7% | 51.3% | 54.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 57.7% | 56.7% | 58.8% | 2 |
| 1860s | 62.1% | 61.0% | 63.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 66.4% | 65.3% | 67.5% | 2 |
| 1880s | 70.7% | 69.7% | 71.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 75.1% | 74.0% | 76.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 79.4% | 78.3% | 80.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 83.7% | 82.7% | 84.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 88.1% | 87.0% | 89.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 92.4% | 91.3% | 93.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 96.8% | 95.7% | 97.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 96.5% | 95.0% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.6% | 93.1% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 95.7% | 95.7% | 95.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.3% | 99.3% | 99.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 99.0% | 97.4% | 99.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 99.4% | 99.3% | 99.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sweden?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sweden was 99.4% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.7% in 1820.
- How does Sweden rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Sweden ranks 16th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 50 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.