Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s tertiary education, academic staff (% female) fell 0.28 percentage points on 2023 (from 54.95% to 54.68%).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.62 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 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.27 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 82% of the movement over 10 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.

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 28 values

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

• Afghanistan — 13.68% (2020)
• Algeria — 47.31% (2024)
• Bahrain — 46.89% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 50.84% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 34% (2020)
• Jordan — 33.44% (2024)
• Malta — 39.03% (2024)
• Morocco — 36.36% (2024)
• Oman — 38.92% (2024)
• Pakistan — 36.47% (2024)

More education data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 15.66 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 906,553 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 82.7% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 28.09 million (2024)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 30.5 million (2018)
• Secondary education, vocational pupils — 6.99 million (2018)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s tertiary education, academic staff (% female)?

54.68% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is up 6.2 percentage points from 48.48% in 1996. The highest value was 54.95% in 2023 and the lowest 48.48% in 1996.

Is the latest change in tertiary education, academic staff (% female) unusual for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?

In 2024, Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s tertiary education, academic staff (% female) fell 0.28 percentage points on 2023 (from 54.95% to 54.68%). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.