Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.7% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
99.7%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
7th
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1905
All-time low
13.6%
in 1820
Years of data
48
1820–2018
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Kingdom, 1820–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 99.7% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Kingdom peaked at 100.0% in 1905 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 1820.
United Kingdom ranks 7th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 13.6% | — |
| 1825 | 15.1% | +11.0% |
| 1830 | 16.8% | +10.8% |
| 1835 | 18.5% | +10.6% |
| 1840 | 20.4% | +10.4% |
| 1845 | 22.5% | +10.1% |
| 1850 | 24.7% | +9.8% |
| 1855 | 28.3% | +14.5% |
| 1860 | 31.9% | +12.6% |
| 1865 | 35.4% | +11.2% |
| 1870 | 39.0% | +10.1% |
| 1875 | 47.7% | +22.4% |
| 1880 | 56.4% | +18.3% |
| 1885 | 65.2% | +15.5% |
| 1890 | 73.9% | +13.4% |
| 1895 | 82.6% | +11.8% |
| 1900 | 91.3% | +10.6% |
| 1905 | 100.0% | +9.5% |
| 1910 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 98.0% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 97.0% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 99.5% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 99.9% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 99.3% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 97.9% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 99.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 99.2% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 99.4% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 98.1% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 98.1% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.4% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 98.6% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.8% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 99.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 99.7% | +0.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 99.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 99.7% 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 | 14.4% | 13.6% | 15.1% | 2 |
| 1830s | 17.6% | 16.8% | 18.5% | 2 |
| 1840s | 21.5% | 20.4% | 22.5% | 2 |
| 1850s | 26.5% | 24.7% | 28.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 33.6% | 31.9% | 35.4% | 2 |
| 1870s | 43.4% | 39.0% | 47.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 60.8% | 56.4% | 65.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 78.2% | 73.9% | 82.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 95.6% | 91.3% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 98.0% | 98.0% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 97.0% | 97.0% | 97.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.2% | 97.9% | 99.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 98.8% | 98.1% | 99.7% | 9 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 4 Australia 99.9% compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 99.9% compare
- 6 Switzerland 99.9% compare
- 8 Saudi Arabia 99.7% compare
- 9 Cyprus 99.7% compare
- 10 Netherlands 99.6% compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Kingdom?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United Kingdom was 99.7% in 2018, 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 Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1905.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.6% in 1820.
- How does United Kingdom rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- United Kingdom ranks 7th out of 190 countries with data for 2018.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 48 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.