Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Switzerland
Switzerland: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland stood at 99.9%.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Switzerland peaked at 100.0% in 1890 and was at its lowest, 59.9%, in 1820.
That places Switzerland 6th out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 61.5% | 59.9% | 63.2% | 2 |
| 1830s | 67.6% | 66.3% | 68.9% | 2 |
| 1840s | 72.8% | 71.5% | 74.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 77.9% | 76.6% | 79.2% | 2 |
| 1860s | 83.1% | 81.8% | 84.4% | 2 |
| 1870s | 88.3% | 87.0% | 89.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 94.1% | 92.2% | 96.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 85.5% | 85.3% | 85.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 85.0% | 84.9% | 85.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 84.5% | 84.4% | 84.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 84.1% | 83.9% | 84.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 85.5% | 83.7% | 87.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 90.5% | 81.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 82.4% | 79.1% | 85.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 94.9% | 94.9% | 94.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.6% | 98.7% | 100.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 3 Azerbaijan 100.0% compare
- 4 Australia 99.9% compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 99.9% compare
- 7 United Kingdom 99.7% compare
- 8 Saudi Arabia 99.7% compare
- 9 Cyprus 99.7% compare
More education data for Switzerland
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 14.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 58,349 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.44 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 101.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Switzerland?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Switzerland was 99.9% 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1890.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.9% in 1820.
- How does Switzerland rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Switzerland ranks 6th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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 — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.