Share of primary school teachers who are women in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 86.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
86.4%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
59th
of 212 countries
All-time high
87.0%
in 2013
All-time low
77.3%
in 1971
Years of data
43
1971–2023
Share of primary school teachers who are women in United Kingdom, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 86.4% for share of primary school teachers who are women in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in United Kingdom peaked at 87.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 77.3%, in 1971.
United Kingdom ranks 59th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 77.3% | — |
| 1972 | 77.6% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 78.1% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 78.5% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 78.6% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 80.7% | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 78.2% | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 78.1% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 78.2% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 78.4% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 78.1% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 78.4% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 78.6% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 79.1% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 78.4% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 78.1% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 77.8% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 78.1% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 78.0% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 78.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 81.0% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 81.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 81.8% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 81.8% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 81.5% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 81.6% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 81.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 81.3% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 81.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.8% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 87.0% | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 87.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 87.0% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 87.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 84.7% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 85.2% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 86.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 86.1% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 86.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 86.3% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 86.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 86.4% | +0.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 86.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 1.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 86.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.2%, 99% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 78.4% | 77.3% | 80.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 78.4% | 77.8% | 79.1% | 8 |
| 1990s | 78.8% | 78.0% | 81.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 81.4% | 80.8% | 81.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.3% | 84.7% | 87.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 86.3% | 86.3% | 86.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 56 Puerto Rico 87.1% compare
- 57 Netherlands 87.0% compare
- 58 Bosnia and Herzegovina 86.6% compare
- 60 Saint Lucia 86.2% compare
- 61 Israel 86.2% compare
- 62 North Macedonia 86.0% compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary school teachers who are women in United Kingdom?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in United Kingdom was 86.4% in 2023, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.3% in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- United Kingdom ranks 59th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.