India's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) was 44.27% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 5.23 percentage points from 39.05% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 44.27% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 41.57% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 39.05% | 2013 |
| Highest | 44.27% | 2023 |
| Lowest | 15.78% | 1972 |
| Average since 2014 | 41.41% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 15.78% | 1972 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, India's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.82 percentage points on 2022 (from 43.46% to 44.27%).
Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2022), the average change was +0.5 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.7 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 2.97 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.41 percentage points in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.64 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 96% 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
In 2023, India had the 20th 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| India | 44.27% | 2023 |
| World | 43.85% | 2024 |
| South Asia | 43.31% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 42.97% | 2024 |
Closest to India in the 2023 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
| Year | Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 44.27 |
| 2022 | 43.46 |
| 2021 | 42.86 |
| 2020 | 42.5 |
| 2019 | 42.15 |
| 2018 | 41.57 |
| 2017 | 40.59 |
| 2016 | 39.09 |
| 2015 | 38.61 |
| 2014 | 39.03 |
| 2013 |
Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — 29.11% (2024)
- Bhutan — 35.41% (2023)
- Sri Lanka — 55.45% (2023)
More education data for India
- 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) — 7 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 126.12 million (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 111.03% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 110.61% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 111.42% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2021)
- Secondary education, pupils — 133.16 million (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is India's tertiary education, academic staff (% female)?
- 44.27% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1972?
- It is up 28.49 percentage points from 15.78% in 1972. The highest value was 44.27% in 2023 and the lowest 15.78% in 1972.
- How does India rank?
- 20th highest of 30 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in tertiary education, academic staff (% female) unusual for India?
- In 2023, India's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.82 percentage points on 2022 (from 43.46% to 44.27%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2022), the average change was +0.5 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.7 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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.
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.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in