Uganda: Primary education, teachers (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Uganda's primary education, teachers (% female) rose 0.37 percentage points on 2016 (from 42.7% to 43.07%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2016), the average change was +0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 3.25 percentage points in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.9 percentage points in 1978. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.33 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 98% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 44.22% for 2020. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2015 to 2017 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.27%, against 0.87% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Uganda in the 2017 ranking

• Panama — 1st of 4: 76.7%
• Tajikistan — 2nd of 4: 76%
• São Tomé and Principe — 3rd of 4: 54.9%

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 30 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 Uganda

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 207,238 (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.03 (2017)
• Primary education, pupils — 8.84 million (2017)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 42.66 (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 106.17% (2017)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 50.28% (2017)

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

43.07% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 14.42 percentage points from 28.65% in 1975. The highest value was 43.07% in 2017 and the lowest 27.76% in 1978.

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

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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