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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, South Asia's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) fell 0.00821 on 2019 (from 1 to 0.99).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.01 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.07 in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.05 in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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 51 values

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

• Afghanistan — 0.64 (2018)
• Bahrain — 1.04 (2019)
• Djibouti — 0.97 (2021)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 1 (2019)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 1.03 (2020)
• Israel — 1.01 (2020)
• Jordan — 1 (2021)
• Kuwait — 1.05 (2015)
• Malta

More education data for South Asia

• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 160.82 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 5.84 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 58.29% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 152.88 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 7.84 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers, female — 3.72 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers (% female) — 47.49% (2024)
• Persistence to last grade of primary, female (% of cohort)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 79.42% from 0.55 in 1970 (1.18% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.05 in 2016 and the lowest 0.55 in 1970.

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

In 2020, South Asia's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) fell 0.00821 on 2019 (from 1 to 0.99). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.01 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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