Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uruguay
Uruguay: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.4% in 2015. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2015)
99.4%
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
18th
of 190 countries
All-time high
99.5%
in 2013
All-time low
1.3%
in 1820
Years of data
52
1820–2015
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uruguay, 1820–2015
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 Uruguay is 99.4%, measured in 2015.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uruguay peaked at 99.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1820.
That places Uruguay 18th out of 190 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1.3% | — |
| 1825 | 1.7% | +27.1% |
| 1830 | 2.1% | +27.2% |
| 1835 | 2.7% | +27.0% |
| 1840 | 3.5% | +26.7% |
| 1845 | 4.4% | +26.3% |
| 1850 | 5.5% | +26.1% |
| 1855 | 6.9% | +25.6% |
| 1860 | 8.7% | +25.3% |
| 1865 | 10.8% | +24.6% |
| 1870 | 13.4% | +23.9% |
| 1875 | 16.5% | +23.1% |
| 1880 | 20.1% | +22.1% |
| 1885 | 24.3% | +20.9% |
| 1890 | 29.6% | +21.8% |
| 1895 | 28.7% | -3.2% |
| 1900 | 27.6% | -3.9% |
| 1905 | 39.0% | +41.6% |
| 1910 | 43.8% | +12.3% |
| 1915 | 48.6% | +10.9% |
| 1920 | 53.3% | +9.8% |
| 1925 | 58.1% | +9.0% |
| 1930 | 62.9% | +8.2% |
| 1935 | 67.7% | +7.6% |
| 1940 | 72.5% | +7.1% |
| 1945 | 77.2% | +6.6% |
| 1950 | 82.0% | +6.2% |
| 1955 | 83.8% | +2.2% |
| 1960 | 95.4% | +13.8% |
| 1965 | 92.0% | -3.6% |
| 1970 | 92.8% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 87.7% | -5.5% |
| 1980 | 88.6% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 86.2% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 94.4% | +9.6% |
| 1992 | 96.0% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 96.5% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 95.0% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 94.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 94.8% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 95.1% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 99.5% | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 97.5% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 95.2% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 96.5% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 97.0% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 98.1% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 98.4% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 99.5% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 95.4% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 99.4% | +4.2% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 99.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 99.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 93.2%, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1830s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 2 |
| 1840s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1850s | 6.2% | 5.5% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 9.7% | 8.7% | 10.8% | 2 |
| 1870s | 14.9% | 13.4% | 16.5% | 2 |
| 1880s | 22.2% | 20.1% | 24.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 29.2% | 28.7% | 29.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 33.3% | 27.6% | 39.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 46.2% | 43.8% | 48.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 55.7% | 53.3% | 58.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 65.3% | 62.9% | 67.7% | 2 |
| 1940s | 74.8% | 72.5% | 77.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 82.9% | 82.0% | 83.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 93.7% | 92.0% | 95.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 90.3% | 87.7% | 92.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 87.4% | 86.2% | 88.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 95.2% | 94.4% | 96.5% | 7 |
| 2000s | 97.1% | 95.2% | 99.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 98.3% | 95.4% | 99.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More education data for Uruguay
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0849 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uruguay?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uruguay was 99.4% in 2015, 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1820.
- How does Uruguay rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Uruguay ranks 18th out of 190 countries with data for 2015.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uruguay 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
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.