The bar chart delineates the number of girls per 100 boys enrolled in primary, secondary, and tertiary education across developed and developing nations for the years 1990 and 1998, compared against a target benchmark of 100.
In general, developed countries consistently approached or exceeded gender parity in all education levels, whereas developing nations showed notable shortfalls, particularly in secondary and tertiary sectors.
In 1998, developed regions achieved near-equal representation in primary (96) and secondary education (99), while tertiary education surpassed parity at 112 girls per 100 boys. Conversely, in developing countries, the numbers remained lower. While primary education saw improvement from 83 to 87, and secondary from 72 to 82, tertiary education was most unequal, with only 75 girls per 100 boys in 1998.
Overall, although gender equity in education improved between 1990 and 1998, developing nations continued to trail behind, especially at higher education levels.