Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden
Sweden: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 81.8% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
81.8%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
81st
of 212 countries
All-time high
84.7%
in 1973
All-time low
72.3%
in 1996
Years of data
36
1971–2024
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden stood at 81.8%.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden peaked at 84.7% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 72.3%, in 1996.
That places Sweden 81st out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 83.1% | — |
| 1973 | 84.7% | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 81.4% | -4.0% |
| 1975 | 80.2% | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 78.3% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 78.9% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 79.0% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 72.3% | -8.4% |
| 1997 | 73.1% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 79.9% | +9.4% |
| 1999 | 79.9% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 80.4% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 79.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 80.4% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 80.8% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 81.3% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 81.0% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 81.2% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 81.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 81.6% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 81.5% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 82.0% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 77.0% | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 77.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 77.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 76.9% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 76.4% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 81.9% | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 81.7% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 81.6% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 81.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 81.5% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 81.7% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 81.8% | +0.1% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 81.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 97% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 81.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.2%, 94% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 82.0% | 80.2% | 84.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 77.3% | 72.3% | 79.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 80.8% | 79.9% | 81.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 79.4% | 76.4% | 82.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.6% | 81.5% | 81.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sweden was 81.8% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 84.7% in 1973.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.3% in 1996.
- How does Sweden rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- Sweden ranks 81st out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sweden 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.