Fez – A new international assessment shows that progress in closing the gender gap in mathematics is reversing, with girls once again falling behind boys across many education systems.
A recent technical note published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, in partnership with UNESCO, raises concerns about a growing imbalance in math performance between girls and boys.
The findings point to a clear shift after years of gradual improvement, suggesting that earlier gains are now being lost.
The analysis draws on data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which tracks student achievement in mathematics and science over time.
It focuses on pupils in the fourth year of primary school and the second year of lower secondary education, covering dozens of comparable education systems worldwide between 1995 and 2023.
The results are striking. In 2023, 81% of the education systems studied showed a significant gap in mathematics in favor of boys at the primary level.
This marks a sharp rise from 52% in 2019 to 39% in 2015. The gap is not limited to average performance.
More girls are now found among low-performing students, while fewer reach the highest achievement levels.
The report also notes a growing share of girls failing to meet basic international benchmarks in mathematics.
In 2023, 21% of education systems recorded a significantly higher proportion of girls below the minimum proficiency level, up from only 4% in 2019 and 2% in 2015.
At the same time, boys continue to dominate among top performers, with 85% of systems showing a clear male advantage at advanced levels.
This trend carries broader implications.
Mathematics is a core subject that supports learning across disciplines and serves as a gateway to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These fields are central to innovation, economic growth, and sustainable development.
Yet women remain underrepresented, accounting for only 36% of graduates in these areas, a figure that has shown little change over the past decade.
The findings suggest that access to education alone is no longer enough.
While more girls are enrolled in school than ever before, disparities in learning outcomes persist and, in some cases, are deepening.
The report calls for renewed attention to how mathematics is taught and how gender-related barriers, inside and outside the classroom, are addressed.
Without targeted action, the gap risks becoming further entrenched, limiting opportunities for millions of girls and weakening the global talent pool in critical sectors.
