United Kingdom: Secondary education, teachers (% female)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.73 percentage points from 62.63% in 2016. Since 1993 it is up 9.52 percentage points from 53.84% in 1993. The World Bank has no value for 6 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2021, United Kingdom's secondary education, teachers (% female) rose 0.2 percentage points on 2020 (from 63.16% to 63.36%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2020), the average change was +0.4 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 2.95 percentage points in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.01 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 8% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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.

Closest to United Kingdom in the 2021 ranking

• Suriname — 1st of 7: 74.77%
• Liechtenstein — 3rd of 7: 58.64%
• Kuwait — 4th of 7: 57.25%
• Botswana — 5th of 7: 55.82%

What this measures

Female teachers as a percentage of total secondary 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 23 values

Secondary education, teachers (% female) in nearby economies

• Albania — 70.66% (2024)
• Andorra — 64.3% (2024)
• Armenia — 88.72% (2024)
• Austria — 64.27% (2024)
• Belarus — 81.3% (2024)
• Belgium — 63.96% (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 64.15% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 77.01% (2024)
• Croatia — 71.34% (2023)
• Cyprus — 67.78% (2023)
• Denmark

More education data for United Kingdom

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.4 million (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.86 million (2023)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 4.17 million (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.21% (2017)
• Secondary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is United Kingdom's secondary education, teachers (% female)?

63.36% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is up 9.52 percentage points from 53.84% in 1993. The highest value was 63.36% in 2021 and the lowest 53.84% in 1993.

Is the latest change in secondary education, teachers (% female) unusual for United Kingdom?

In 2021, United Kingdom's secondary education, teachers (% female) rose 0.2 percentage points on 2020 (from 63.16% to 63.36%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2020), the average change was +0.4 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

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