Worldwide, the enrollment ratio of girls to boys in primary education was around *** between 2000 and 2020. The ratio increased slowly until 2016, before decreasing somewhat until 2020.

Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 1.003 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.004 Ratio for 2014. Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.004 Ratio from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.006 Ratio in 1996 and a record low of 0.998 Ratio in 1979. Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Education, Culture and Media include the literacy rate of the population aged 15 and over, the number of junior high school principals, the number of elementary school principals, the number of students in all levels of schools - elementary, the number of students in all levels of schools - junior high, the number of students in all levels of schools - high school, the number of students in all levels of schools - vocational high school, the number of students in senior secondary schools, the number of teachers in all levels of schools - elementary, the number of teachers in all levels of schools - junior high, the number of teachers in all levels of schools - high school, the number of teachers in all levels of schools - vocational high school, the number of teachers in senior secondary schools, the number of new immigrant children attending elementary and junior high schools, the number of dropouts in elementary school, the number of dropouts in junior high school, the number of indigenous dropouts in elementary school, the number of indigenous dropouts in junior high school, the number of kindergarten children, the number of kindergarten teachers and child welfare service personnel, the number of indigenous students in elementary school, the number of indigenous students in junior high school, the number of students with poor naked eye sight in elementary school, the number of students with poor naked eye sight in junior high school, the number of special education school students, the number of students with special education in junior high and elementary schools (physical and mental disabilities), the educational attainment structure ratio of the population over 15 years old registered in the household - college and above, the number of community college students, and the number of participants in activities at elderly learning centers.

United Kingdom UK: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 0.999 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.998 Ratio for 2014. United Kingdom UK: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.001 Ratio from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.007 Ratio in 1991 and a record low of 0.995 Ratio in 2010. United Kingdom UK: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

From 2019 to 2021, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) for gross enrollment in primary education in Morocco stood at ****, indicating that male students were slightly favored than female students. Previously, the gap in learning opportunities between female and male students was significantly larger. On the whole, children between ages *** and ** in Morocco are obliged to enroll in school.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in United States was reported at 0.98683 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Over the past two decades, the number of out-of-school girls in primary school age decreased globally from 57 million to 32 million. The share of boys admitted at primary school worldwide also saw a decline from 42 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2018. Progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children has generally stagnated since 2007, and a higher number of girls than boys are not in primary school worldwide today.

Regional perspective

In detail, nine percent of girls in primary school age are not in school worldwide, compared to seven percent of their male counterparts. In a regional perspective, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest out-of-school population in the world. 22 percent girls and 17 percent boys from this region were not in primary school in 2018. South Asia had the second highest out-of-school population that same year, with eight percent girls and six percent boys respectively.

Lower secondary school

A similar picture appears for adolescents in lower secondary age. While the number of children who were not admitted to lower secondary school generally decreased in the past years, 32 million boys and 30 million girls are still out of school to this day. Up until 10 years ago, a higher number of girls were out of school than boys, but now the tendency has shifted as fewer boys are not enrolled in lower secondary school globally. In South Asia as well as East Asia and the Pacific, a higher share of females was in lower secondary school, while in Sub-Saharan Africa more males were admitted.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Rwanda was reported at 1.023 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Rwanda - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 66 countries was 0.99 percent. The highest value was in Senegal: 1.16 percent and the lowest value was in Chad: 0.8 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in United Kingdom was reported at 1.0124 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in China was reported at 1.0116 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Nine percent of girls of primary school age worldwide were not in primary school in 2018. That was two percentage points more compared to primary school aged boys. The highest share of children out of primary school occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 22 percent of girls and 17 percent of boys were not in primary school in 2018.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Japan was reported at 1.0034 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Primary school completion rates worldwide tend to increase as income rises, too. For instance, the completion rate for male students with low income was around ** percent and around ** percent for students with high income. Moreover, completion rates for female students were always slightly below those of male students.

In 2020, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) for gross enrollment in primary education in South Africa amounted to ****. This indicates that slightly more males than females were enrolled in primary education. Over the observed period, males were more advantaged in learning opportunities, with the ratio fluctuating between **** and ****.

16 percent of girls of lower secondary school age worldwide were not in lower secondary school in 2018. That was one percentage point more compared to their male counterparts. The highest share of children out of school occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 39 percent of girls and 36 percent of boys were not in lower secondary school in 2018. For pupils in primary school, nine percent girls and seven percent boys were not being schooled globally in that same year.

In 2021, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) for primary education enrollment in Bhutan and Hong Kong was ****. This indicator is calculated by dividing the female gross enrollment ratio in primary education by the male gross enrollment ratio in primary education. A GPI of less than * suggests that girls are more disadvantaged than boys in learning opportunities, while a GPI of greater than * suggests that boys are more disadvantaged than girls in learning opportunities.

In the school year 2023/24, approximately ***** percent of primary school students in Indonesia were male. The share of female primary school students was slightly higher than ** percent. In the same period, there were around ***** million active primary school students in Indonesia.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Australia was reported at 0.97929 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Ghana was reported at 1.0124 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.