Tallvett

Charts · Education

The shorter the education, the bigger the gap between women and men in work

The shorter the education, the bigger the gap between women and men in work

Share of women and men aged 20–64 who are employed, by level of education, 2025. Per cent. The number on the right is the gap in percentage points.

WomenMen

  1. Basic school level15.4Women 50.5%, Men 65.9%, 15.4
  2. Upper secondary education9.9Women 71.8%, Men 81.7%, 9.9
  3. Higher education1.8Women 87.0%, Men 88.8%, 1.8

Among those with compulsory school as their highest education, 65.9% of men and 50.5% of women are in work, a gap of 15.4 percentage points. Among those with higher education the gap is 1.8 percentage points.

Show the figures as a table
Level of educationWomenMenGap
Basic school level50.5%65.9%15.4 percentage points
Upper secondary education71.8%81.7%9.9 percentage points
Higher education87.0%88.8%1.8 percentage points
Source: Statistics Norway, table 13785 · Chart: TallvettUpdated 11 Feb 2026
Embed this chart

Copy the code and paste it into your page. The chart shows its own source, table number and update date.

Language
Version
Appearance

A still image of the chart for social media, newsletters and messages. It shows the figures as they were on 11 Feb 2026.

If you rebuild the chart in another tool, we ask for the same credit: Source: Statistics Norway, table 13785. Chart: Tallvett. Charts are licensed CC BY 4.0.

How this chart was made
  • The shares are Statistics Norway's own, from table 13785: employed persons as a share of all persons aged 20–64, for women and men at each level of education. We have not calculated them.
  • The gap we calculated: men's share minus women's share, in percentage points. The rows are sorted by it.
  • Level of education is the highest completed education, as Statistics Norway groups it in three levels. Persons with unknown education are not included.
  • The figures do not show why the shares differ. Age, immigration and health, among other things, may play a part.

Statistics Norway's notes on the table

  • As of 11 February 2026, tables by level of education were revised. For persons aged 18-24 with an education level below upper secondary, information from the questionnaire is now prioritized over register data.

More charts about education