South Africa: Secondary education, teachers, female

Key figures

Since 1991 it is up 53.82% from 71,452 in 1991 (1.35% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 13 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, South Africa's secondary education, teachers, female fell 0.3% on 2022 (from 110,234 to 109,909).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +2.4% and a typical year strayed about 5.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below 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 13.7% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.2% in 2002. 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, South Africa had the 6th highest value of the 35 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 South Africa in the 2023 ranking

• Türkiye — 3rd of 35: 439,973
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 4th of 35: 200,449
• Sri Lanka — 5th of 35: 113,295
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 7th of 35: 109,250
• Romania — 8th of 35: 92,343
• Belgium — 9th of 35: 88,129

What this measures

Secondary education, teachers, female, refers to the total number of female teachers at secondary level, including 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 sum.

All 20 values

Secondary education, teachers, female in nearby economies

• Benin — 6,971 (2022)
• Botswana — 8,532 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 12,609 (2024)
• Burundi — 7,258 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 1,787 (2022)
• Cameroon — 48,324 (2023)
• Central African Republic — 2,040 (2017)
• Chad — 2,404 (2024)
• Comoros — 830 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 109,250 (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

More education data for South Africa

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 7.52 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.77% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.21% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 104.32% (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) — 19.14% (2025)

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 South Africa's secondary education, teachers, female?

109,909 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 53.82% from 71,452 in 1991 (1.35% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 112,678 in 2019 and the lowest 71,452 in 1991.

How does South Africa rank?

6th highest of 35 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in secondary education, teachers, female unusual for South Africa?

In 2023, South Africa's secondary education, teachers, female fell 0.3% on 2022 (from 110,234 to 109,909). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +2.4% and a typical year strayed about 5.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below 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.SEC.TCHR.FE, 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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