Netherlands: Secondary education, pupils (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Netherlands' secondary education, pupils (% female) fell 0.08 percentage points on 2016 (from 49.1% to 49.02%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2016), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.25 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 0.57 percentage points in 1972 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.53 percentage points in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.09 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 8 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2017, Netherlands had the 26th highest value of the 63 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 Netherlands in the 2017 ranking

• Sierra Leone — 23rd of 63: 49.08%
• Israel — 24th of 63: 49.05%
• Slovak Republic — 25th of 63: 49.03%
• Spain — 27th of 63: 48.99%
• Denmark — 28th of 63: 48.97%
• France — 29th of 63: 48.95%

What this measures

Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at secondary level includes enrollments in public and private schools.

Limitations: The percentage of female enrollment is limited in assessing gender parity, because it's affected by the gender composition of population. Ratio of female to male in enrollment rate provides a population adjusted measure of gender parity.

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

All 45 values

Secondary education, pupils (% female) in nearby economies

• Albania — 47.09% (2018)
• Andorra — 48.35% (2018)
• Armenia — 47.27% (2018)
• Austria — 47.66% (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 46.74% (2018)
• Belarus — 48.29% (2018)
• Belgium — 51.68% (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 49.39% (2018)
• Bulgaria — 47.8% (2017)
• Croatia — 49.87% (2017)
• Cyprus

More education data for Netherlands

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 1.14 million (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 1.61 million (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 5.18% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2020)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Netherlands's secondary education, pupils (% female)?

49.02% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 4.22 percentage points from 44.79% in 1971. The highest value was 49.1% in 2016 and the lowest 44.79% in 1971.

How does Netherlands rank?

26th highest of 63 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils (% female) unusual for Netherlands?

In 2017, Netherlands' secondary education, pupils (% female) fell 0.08 percentage points on 2016 (from 49.1% to 49.02%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2016), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.25 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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.SEC.ENRL.FE.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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