Kenya: Primary education, teachers (% female)

Key figures

Since 1998 it is up 18.58 percentage points from 41.92% in 1998. The World Bank has no value for 5 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Kenya's primary education, teachers (% female) rose 7.55 percentage points on 2022 (from 52.94% to 60.49%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.27 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.55 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.45 percentage points in 2009. 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 0.94 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 75% of the movement over 8 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, Kenya had the 31st highest value of the 37 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 Kenya in the 2023 ranking

• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 28th of 37: 67.31%
• Congo, Rep. — 29th of 37: 61.56%
• Türkiye — 30th of 37: 61.36%
• Timor-Leste — 32nd of 37: 52.8%
• Papua New Guinea — 33rd of 37: 49.35%
• Afghanistan — 34th of 37: 41.64%

What this measures

Female teachers as a percentage of total primary education teachers includes full-time and part-time teachers.

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 21 values

Primary education, teachers (% female) in nearby economies

• Benin — 29.64% (2022)
• Botswana — 74.08% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 50.07% (2024)
• Burundi — 55.24% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 63.51% (2022)
• Cameroon — 61.38% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 19.09% (2016)
• Chad — 21.27% (2024)
• Comoros — 43.24% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 32.35% (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

More education data for Kenya

• 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 — 8.04 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.25% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 96.63% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 99.85% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2019)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

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 Kenya's primary education, teachers (% female)?

60.49% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is up 18.58 percentage points from 41.92% in 1998. The highest value was 60.49% in 2023 and the lowest 40.53% in 2003.

How does Kenya rank?

31st highest of 37 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers (% female) unusual for Kenya?

In 2023, Kenya's primary education, teachers (% female) rose 7.55 percentage points on 2022 (from 52.94% to 60.49%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.27 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.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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