Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand
New Zealand: Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female was 84.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
84.6%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
67th
of 212 countries
All-time high
88.4%
in 1998
All-time low
62.7%
in 1974
Years of data
43
1971–2024
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand stood at 84.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand peaked at 88.4% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 62.7%, in 1974.
That places New Zealand 67th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 64.1% | — |
| 1972 | 64.4% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 64.4% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 62.7% | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 63.6% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 63.7% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 66.0% | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 69.4% | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 69.8% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 73.0% | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 74.1% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 75.1% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 78.6% | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 79.9% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 80.1% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 81.0% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 81.8% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 81.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 88.4% | +8.0% |
| 1999 | 81.9% | -7.4% |
| 2000 | 83.8% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 83.9% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 83.9% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 83.0% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 83.0% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 83.4% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 83.3% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 83.5% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 83.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 83.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 83.4% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 83.8% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.8% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 84.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 84.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 84.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 84.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 84.7% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 84.6% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 84.6% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 84.6% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 84.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 1.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 84.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 63.8% | 62.7% | 64.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 71.2% | 66.0% | 75.1% | 6 |
| 1990s | 81.7% | 78.6% | 88.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 83.5% | 83.0% | 83.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 83.9% | 83.4% | 84.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 84.6% | 84.6% | 84.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36,426 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,020 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 56,552 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0724 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand?
- Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in New Zealand was 84.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 88.4% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.7% in 1974.
- How does New Zealand rank for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female?
- New Zealand ranks 67th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of teachers in primary education who are female rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release