Iceland: Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

Since 1971 it is up 47.15 percentage points from 8.44% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 30 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Iceland's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.81 percentage points on 2022 (from 54.78% to 55.59%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2022), the average change was +0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 6.63 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.06 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Iceland had the 2nd highest value of the 30 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 Iceland in the 2023 ranking

• St. Lucia — 1st of 30: 58.44%
• Sri Lanka — 3rd of 30: 55.45%
• Bermuda — 4th of 30: 54.55%
• Romania — 5th of 30: 52.35%

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 23 values

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

• Albania — 58.85% (2024)
• Andorra — 50.48% (2024)
• Armenia — 63.47% (2024)
• Austria — 45.74% (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 62.01% (2024)
• Belarus — 61.56% (2024)
• Belgium — 50.36% (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 46.78% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 52.32% (2024)
• Croatia — 51.15% (2023)

More education data for Iceland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 32,314 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.22% (2023)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 76.52% (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 37,056 (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 108.91% (2023)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.52 (2023)

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 Iceland's tertiary education, academic staff (% female)?

55.59% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 47.15 percentage points from 8.44% in 1971. The highest value was 55.59% in 2023 and the lowest 8.44% in 1971.

How does Iceland rank?

2nd highest of 30 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Iceland's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.81 percentage points on 2022 (from 54.78% to 55.59%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2022), the average change was +0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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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