Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women

Education projections and country level education data
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Table A1.5
Country predictions
by region for female
to male gross
tertiary enrollment
ratios, 2015
Number of countries
Source: UNESCO 2004.
Region
Reverse
gap (more
than 1.0)
Parity
(1.0)
On track
(0.90–
0.99)
Falling
behind
(0.70–
0.89)
Off track
(less than
0.70) Total
Developed countries 20 0 0 0 0 20
East Asia and Pacific 2 0 0 1 1 4
Europe and Central Asia 16 0 0 1 1 18
Latin America and
the Caribbean 8 0 0 1 0 9
Middle East and
North Africa 7 0 0 0 0 7
South Asia 2 0 0 1 1 4
Sub-Saharan Africa 4 0 1 3 8 16
Total 59 0 1 7 11 78
Table A1.6
Country predictions
by region for ratio
of literate females
to males, aged
15–24, 2015
Number of countries
Source: UN 2004a.
Region
Reverse
gap (more
than 1.0)
Parity
(1.0)
On track
(0.90–
0.99)
Falling
behind
(0.70–
0.89)
Off track
(less than
0.70) Total
East Asia and Pacific 7 7 3 0 0 17
Europe and Central Asia 2 18 0 0 0 20
Latin America and
the Caribbean
13 11 1 1 0 26
Middle East and
North Africa 12 2 3 1 1 19
South Asia 2 1 1 3 0 7
Sub-Saharan Africa 19 3 4 10 3 39
Total 55 42 12 15 4 128
Country prospects for meeting the tertiary education target
If current trends persist, 59 of 78 countries with data will achieve a reverse
gender gap by 2015 (table A1.5). One country is on track to achieve parity
(Botswana). Seven countries are falling behind: three in Sub-Saharan Africa
(Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, and Uganda), one in East Asia and Pacific
(Republic of Korea), one in Europe and Central Asia (Georgia), one in Latin
America and the Caribbean (Cuba), and one in South Asia (India). Finally, 11
countries are off track, the majority in Sub-Saharan Africa (Benin, Burundi,
Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, and Togo).
Of the remaining three, one is in East Asia and Pacific (China), one in Europe
and Central Asia (Tajikistan), and one in South Asia (Nepal).
Country prospects for meeting the literacy target
Eighty-five percent of 128 developing countries are projected to have female
to male literacy ratios of 0.90 or greater by 2015 (table A1.6). Thirteen of the
39 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with data are either falling behind or off
track. In South Asia three of seven countries are predicted to fall behind. In
contrast, only one country in Latin America and the Caribbean (Guatemala) is
likely to fall behind, while two countries in the Middle East and North Africa