Colombia: Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

Since 1975 it is up 26.47 percentage points from 13.87% in 1975. 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 2022, Colombia's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.51 percentage points on 2021 (from 39.83% to 40.34%).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2021), the average change was +0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 2.21 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.92 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.47 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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 Colombia in the 2022 ranking

• Namibia — 1st of 2: 50.86%

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 36 values

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

• Aruba — 53.96% (2016)
• Belize — 54.01% (2024)
• Brazil — 46.97% (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 63.16% (2024)
• Cuba — 61.71% (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 46.96% (2024)
• Ecuador — 42.24% (2023)
• El Salvador — 39.98% (2023)
• Honduras — 48.88% (2024)
• Panama — 50.05% (2023)

More education data for Colombia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.14 million (2022)
• Primary education, teachers — 180,781 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 4.85 million (2022)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.13% (2018)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 23.3 (2018)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

40.34% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 26.47 percentage points from 13.87% in 1975. The highest value was 65.65% in 2009 and the lowest 13.87% in 1975.

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

In 2022, Colombia's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.51 percentage points on 2021 (from 39.83% to 40.34%). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2021), the average change was +0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

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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