Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tanzania
Tanzania: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 86.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tanzania, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 86.5% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tanzania peaked at 96.0% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 49.4%, in 1994.
That places Tanzania 146th out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 67.5% | — |
| 1982 | 62.8% | -7.0% |
| 1983 | 61.7% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 55.4% | -10.2% |
| 1986 | 54.2% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 52.3% | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 50.7% | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 50.6% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 49.9% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 49.5% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 49.9% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 49.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 49.4% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 49.5% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 49.9% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 50.7% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 50.6% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 51.3% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 54.9% | +7.0% |
| 2001 | 59.1% | +7.7% |
| 2002 | 73.7% | +24.7% |
| 2003 | 81.8% | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 85.9% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 89.9% | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 94.9% | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 96.0% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 90.8% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 90.6% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 87.6% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 84.1% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 82.2% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 86.2% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 86.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 84.4% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 87.0% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 88.0% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 89.1% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 89.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 88.5% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 86.5% | -2.2% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 86.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 96% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 86.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 56.9% | 50.6% | 67.5% | 8 |
| 1990s | 50.0% | 49.4% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.5% | 54.9% | 96.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 86.4% | 82.2% | 90.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.3% | 86.5% | 89.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More education data for Tanzania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,006 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 331,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 851,911 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 824,648 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.3307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1661 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tanzania?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tanzania was 86.5% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2008.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.4% in 1994.
- How does Tanzania rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Tanzania ranks 146th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.