Share of primary school teachers who are women in China
China: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 74.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of primary school teachers who are women in China, 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of primary school teachers who are women in China is 74.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in China peaked at 74.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 33.3%, in 1977.
China ranks 124th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 36.4% | — |
| 1975 | 35.7% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 36.3% | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 33.3% | -8.4% |
| 1978 | 38.6% | +15.9% |
| 1979 | 37.8% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 36.6% | -3.3% |
| 1981 | 37.1% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 36.3% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 36.3% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 37.0% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 39.0% | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 39.6% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 40.4% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 41.0% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 41.5% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 42.6% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 43.2% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 43.8% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 44.5% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 45.2% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 45.8% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 46.6% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 47.4% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 50.6% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 52.9% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 55.2% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 55.5% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 56.1% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 56.8% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 57.6% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 58.4% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 59.0% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 59.9% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 61.0% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 62.6% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 64.0% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 65.6% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 67.4% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 69.0% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 70.2% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 71.4% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 72.4% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 73.4% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 74.5% | +1.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 74.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 79.4%, 94% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 74.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 98% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 36.3% | 33.3% | 38.6% | 6 |
| 1980s | 38.5% | 36.3% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.3% | 42.6% | 48.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.5% | 50.6% | 56.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 62.4% | 57.6% | 69.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.4% | 70.2% | 74.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.41 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,020 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.36 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 97.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 108.57 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9587 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0771 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary school teachers who are women in China?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in China was 74.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 74.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.3% in 1977.
- How does China rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- China ranks 124th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.