Pre-demographic dividend: Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Pre-demographic dividend's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.89 percentage points on 2020 (from 22.98% to 23.87%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.24 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 5.19 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.94 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.09 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 44% 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 45 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 Pre-demographic dividend

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) — 68.83% (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 175.74 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.31% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 96.33% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 100.25% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 4.66 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Pre-demographic dividend's tertiary education, academic staff (% female)?

23.87% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is up 8.16 percentage points from 15.7% in 1977. The highest value was 26.46% in 1999 and the lowest 14.68% in 1979.

Is the latest change in tertiary education, academic staff (% female) unusual for Pre-demographic dividend?

In 2021, Pre-demographic dividend's tertiary education, academic staff (% female) rose 0.89 percentage points on 2020 (from 22.98% to 23.87%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.24 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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