Women in MENA now outpace men at university
Women's university enrolment rate per 100 for men, Middle East & North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2024.
In the Middle East and North Africa, women's tertiary enrolment rate went from 31% of men's in 1970 to 106% in 2024.
The year women's enrolment rate in the region first passed men's (100.8 per 100).
Sub-Saharan Africa's female enrolment rate was still only 79 per 100 for men in 2021, the latest year available.
the numbers
| Year | Middle East & North Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 31 | |
| 1980 | 55 | |
| 1990 | 67 | |
| 2000 | 90 | |
| 2003 | 101 | |
| 2010 | 105 | |
| 2015 | 100 | |
| 2017 | 101 | 75 |
| 2018 | 103 | 77 |
| 2019 | 105 | 78 |
| 2020 | 105 | 79 |
| 2021 | 105 | 79 |
| 2024 | 106 |
source notes & method
Retrieved via FRED (St. Louis Fed) mirror of WDI, updated 8 Oct 2025; Sub-Saharan Africa series: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SEENRTERTFMZSSSF (only 2017–2021 retrieved). 'Women per 100 men' = WDI ratio × 100, derived by progrss. World Bank 'Middle East & North Africa' aggregate, all income levels. Ratio of gross enrolment ratios, not headcounts. UNESCO IESALC (2021) gives 73 per 100 for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 vs 77 in WDI; estimates differ by edition. Globally, female tertiary GER rose from 19% to 41% in 2000–2018 vs 19% to 36% for men (UNESCO IESALC, Women in higher education, 2021). Because the measure compares enrolment rates (each relative to its own age-group population), it does not mean women outnumber men in headcount, which also depends on population sex ratios (notably in the Gulf).
Published 3 Nov 2026
what connects to this
one plate, every morning
The new world, explained in one chart, in your inbox at 7:00, your time. Free.
or follow via rss, the "rss" in progrss