Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United States
United States: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 96.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United States, 1820–2022
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 United States is 96.2%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United States peaked at 100.0% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 41.6%, in 1820.
United States ranks 75th of 190 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 42.3% | 41.6% | 42.9% | 2 |
| 1830s | 52.0% | 49.0% | 55.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 65.4% | 62.0% | 68.9% | 2 |
| 1850s | 82.0% | 75.9% | 88.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 95.0% | 93.3% | 96.7% | 2 |
| 1870s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 98.7% | 98.2% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 96.7% | 96.1% | 97.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 95.9% | 95.9% | 95.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 95.0% | 94.0% | 95.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 95.5% | 94.0% | 96.6% | 3 |
| 1990s | 97.0% | 96.1% | 98.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 96.9% | 99.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 96.7% | 95.8% | 98.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 72 North Macedonia 96.5% compare
- 73 Qatar 96.4% compare
- 74 Sao Tome and Principe 96.3% compare
- 76 Greece 96.0% compare
- 77 Papua New Guinea 96.0% compare
- 78 Bahrain 95.9% compare
More education data for United States
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.1% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.0% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 1.78 million (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.62 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United States?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in United States was 96.2% in 2022, 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1870.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.6% in 1820.
- How does United States rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- United States ranks 75th out of 190 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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 — 52 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.