Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tonga

Tonga: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 87.9% in 1999. ▼ Falling

Latest (1999)
87.9%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
137th
of 190 countries
All-time high
97.1%
in 1978
All-time low
80.5%
in 1983
Years of data
14
1970–1999

Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tonga, 1970–1999

0204060801001970198419991970: 94.5 %1971: 94.5 %1974: 92.5 %1975: 96.8 %1978: 97.1 %1982: 85.9 %1983: 80.5 %1984: 87.1 %1985: 88.7 %1986: 87.5 %1990: 87.1 %1993: 86.1 %1998: 89.6 %1999: 87.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tonga is 87.9%, measured in 1999.

The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tonga peaked at 97.1% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 80.5%, in 1983.

Tonga ranks 137th of 190 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 95.1% 92.5% 97.1% 5
1980s 85.9% 80.5% 88.7% 5
1990s 87.7% 86.1% 89.6% 4

Countries ranked near Tonga

  1. 134 Malaysia 88.9% compare
  2. 135 Venezuela 88.6% compare
  3. 136 Botswana 88.6% compare
  4. 138 Puerto Rico 87.8% compare
  5. 139 Cameroon 87.7% compare
  6. 140 Benin 87.6% compare

See the full ranking of 190 places →

More education data for Tonga

All data for Tonga →

Frequently asked questions

What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tonga?
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Tonga was 87.9% in 1999, 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 Tonga?
The highest recorded value was 97.1% in 1978.
What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Tonga?
The lowest recorded value was 80.5% in 1983.
How does Tonga rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
Tonga ranks 137th out of 190 countries with data for 1999.
Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Tonga?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Tonga 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
190 places, 7,246 data points, 1820–2025
Last refreshed

The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.