Burkina Faso: Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Burkina Faso's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.31 percentage points on 2023 (from 9.29% to 9.6%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2023), the average change was −0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.72 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.4 percentage points in 1979. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Burkina Faso had the 62nd highest value of the 61 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Burkina Faso in the 2024 ranking

• Rwanda — 58th of 61: 20.51%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 59th of 61: 14.01%
• Senegal — 60th of 61: 12.37%

What this measures

Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) is the share of female academic staff in tertiary education.

Limitations: The indicator measures the level of gender representation in the teaching profession, rather than the effectiveness and quality of teaching.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 26 values

Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) in nearby economies

• Benin — 20.13% (2018)
• Botswana — 41.52% (2023)
• Burundi — 14.52% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 39.08% (2018)
• Cameroon — 26.79% (2024)
• Chad — 7.88% (2020)
• Congo, Rep. — 13.27% (2017)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 14.01% (2024)
• Eritrea — 13.77% (2016)
• Eswatini — 41.99% (2015)

More education data for Burkina Faso

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.07 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 77.17% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 78.3% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 76.06% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 91,764 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Burkina Faso's tertiary education, academic staff (% female)?

9.6% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is down 23.74 percentage points from 33.33% in 1972. The highest value was 33.33% in 1972 and the lowest 2.19% in 1993.

How does Burkina Faso rank?

62nd highest of 61 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in tertiary education, academic staff (% female) unusual for Burkina Faso?

In 2024, Burkina Faso's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.31 percentage points on 2023 (from 9.29% to 9.6%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2023), the average change was −0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.TER.TCHR.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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