Portugal: Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Portugal's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 1.27 percentage points on 2022 (from 46.21% to 47.48%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2022), the average change was +0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 4.19 percentage points in 1979 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.15 percentage points in 1982. 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 0.34 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 88% 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, Portugal had the 16th 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 Portugal in the 2023 ranking

• Brunei Darussalam — 13th of 30: 49%
• Slovenia — 14th of 30: 48.15%
• United Kingdom — 15th of 30: 47.77%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 17th of 30: 46.78%
• Türkiye — 18th of 30: 46.17%
• Indonesia — 19th of 30: 44.63%

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 39 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 Portugal

• 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 — 598,661 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 99.36% (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 741,752 (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.55% (2022)
• School enrollment, preprimary, female (% gross)

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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Questions people ask

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

47.48% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 28.07 percentage points from 19.41% in 1971. The highest value was 47.48% in 2023 and the lowest 19.41% in 1971.

How does Portugal rank?

16th highest of 30 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Portugal's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 1.27 percentage points on 2022 (from 46.21% to 47.48%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2022), the average change was +0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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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