Canada: Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 1.97 percentage points from 49.36% in 2011. Since 1993 it is up 13.65 percentage points from 33.74% in 1993. The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2016, Canada's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) fell 1.97 percentage points on 2015 (from 49.36% to 47.39%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2015), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.7 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.97 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2016 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 9 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Canada in the 2016 ranking

• Aruba — 1st of 3: 53.96%
• Eritrea — 3rd of 3: 13.77%

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 12 values

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

• Bermuda — 54.55% (2023)
• United States — 51.7% (2023)

More education data for Canada

• 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) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.43 million (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 2.7 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.84% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

47.39% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is up 13.65 percentage points from 33.74% in 1993. The highest value was 49.36% in 2011 and the lowest 33.74% in 1993.

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

In 2016, Canada's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) fell 1.97 percentage points on 2015 (from 49.36% to 47.39%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2015), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

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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