Percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female was 78.6% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in South Africa, 1994–2014
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 78.6% for percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in 2014.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in South Africa peaked at 99.0% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 74.4%, in 2003.
That places South Africa 166th out of 178 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 98.0% | — |
| 1996 | 99.0% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 78.1% | -21.1% |
| 2000 | 75.2% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 77.8% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 79.8% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 74.4% | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 76.2% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 75.5% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 76.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 76.5% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 76.9% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 77.2% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 78.6% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 79.0% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 78.9% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 78.6% | -0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 78.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.1%, 80% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 78.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.4%, 88% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 91.7% | 78.1% | 99.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 76.6% | 74.4% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.8% | 78.6% | 79.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in South Africa?
- Percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female in South Africa was 78.6% in 2014, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 1996.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.4% in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female?
- South Africa ranks 166th out of 178 countries with data for 2014.
- Is percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of teachers in pre-primary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of female teachers at the pre-primary level expressed as a percentage of the total number of teachers (male and female) at the pre-primary level in a given school year. Teachers are persons employed full time or part time in an official capacity to guide and direct the learning experience of pupils and students, irrespective of their qualifications or the delivery mechanism, i.e. face-to-face and/or at a distance. This definition excludes educational personnel who have no active teaching duties (e.g. headmasters, headmistresses or principals who do not teach) and persons who work occasionally or in a voluntary capacity in educational institutions.