The two bar charts compare the proportions of school-aged boys and girls enrolled in secondary education, and college-aged men and women in higher education, across four world regions in the year 2000.
Overall, Europe recorded the highest participation rates at both educational levels, while Sub-Saharan Africa had by far the lowest. In terms of gender differences, females generally outnumbered males in Europe and Latin America, whereas the opposite pattern was seen in Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, particularly at the tertiary level.
Looking first at secondary education, enrolment in Europe was almost universal, with both boys and girls accounting for around 100% of the relevant age group. In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa showed much lower figures, at approximately 30% for boys and only about 20% for girls. Latin America displayed a moderate level of participation, where female enrolment (around 60%) exceeded that of males by roughly 10 percentage points. A similar but less pronounced gender gap was observed in East Asia, with both sexes recording figures close to 60%.
Turning to higher education, the same regional pattern persisted but at substantially lower levels. Europe again led the chart, where about 70% of women attended colleges or universities, compared with roughly 60% of men. By contrast, tertiary participation in Sub-Saharan Africa was minimal, remaining below 5% for both genders. In Latin America and East Asia, enrolment rates were relatively modest, with males slightly more likely than females to enter higher education, particularly in Latin America.