Australia: School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 5.84% from 0.93 in 2015 (1.14% a year on average, compounded). Since 1993 it is down 2.12% from 1 in 1993 (0.08% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 17 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2020, Australia's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.02 on 2019 (from 0.96 to 0.98).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2019), the average change was +0.00729 and a typical year strayed about 0.01 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.03 in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.00478 in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Australia had the 58th highest value of the 65 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Australia in the 2020 ranking

• Poland — 55th of 65: 0.98
• Greece — 56th of 65: 0.98
• Chile — 57th of 65: 0.98
• Norway — 59th of 65: 0.98
• Türkiye — 60th of 65: 0.98
• Germany — 61st of 65: 0.97

What this measures

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary and secondary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary and secondary levels in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 11 values

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 1.02 (2020)
• Cambodia — 1.04 (2021)
• China — 1.01 (2021)
• Fiji — 1.02 (2021)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 1.02 (2021)
• Indonesia — 0.99 (2018)
• Japan — 1 (2019)
• Korea, Rep. — 1 (2020)
• Lao PDR

More education data for Australia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.27 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 1.68 million (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.5% (2017)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.67% (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (% net)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)?

0.98 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is down 2.12% from 1 in 1993 (0.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.02 in 1997 and the lowest 0.93 in 2016.

How does Australia rank?

58th highest of 65 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) unusual for Australia?

In 2020, Australia's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.02 on 2019 (from 0.96 to 0.98). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2019), the average change was +0.00729 and a typical year strayed about 0.01 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ENR.PRSC.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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