Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Arab Emirates, 1978–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Arab Emirates recorded 99.9% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2023. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Arab Emirates peaked at 99.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 77.9%, in 1986.
That places United Arab Emirates 5th out of 190 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 85.2% | — |
| 1980 | 82.6% | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 79.8% | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 86.1% | +7.9% |
| 1983 | 80.5% | -6.5% |
| 1984 | 79.7% | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 78.3% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 77.9% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 87.6% | +12.4% |
| 1988 | 89.4% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 93.2% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 96.9% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 97.8% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 94.6% | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 93.3% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 92.8% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 94.2% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 92.1% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 91.6% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 98.4% | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 86.8% | -11.8% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +13.9% |
| 2019 | 99.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 99.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.6% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 99.9% | +0.2% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 99.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 99.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.2%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.2% | 85.2% | 85.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 83.5% | 77.9% | 93.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 94.6% | 91.6% | 98.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 86.8% | 86.8% | 86.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.3% | 98.8% | 99.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.6% | 99.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 2 France 100.0% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 100.0% compare
- 4 Australia 99.9% compare
- 6 Switzerland 99.9% compare
- 7 United Kingdom 99.7% compare
- 8 Saudi Arabia 99.7% compare
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.88 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 100 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,178 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 305 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 119,159 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 125,307 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 894,302 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 586,477 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Arab Emirates?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Arab Emirates was 99.9% in 2023, 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.9% in 1986.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 5th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.