Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female was 48.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
48.1%
Change on year
up 12.2%
World rank
64th
of 172 countries
All-time high
48.1%
in 2024
All-time low
6.5%
in 1971
Years of data
48
1971–2024
Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in Saudi Arabia, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 48.1% for percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.2% on the previous year and up 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in Saudi Arabia peaked at 48.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 1971.
Saudi Arabia ranks 64th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.5% | — |
| 1972 | 7.1% | +9.6% |
| 1973 | 8.6% | +21.0% |
| 1974 | 11.0% | +28.5% |
| 1975 | 13.5% | +22.5% |
| 1976 | 15.2% | +13.1% |
| 1977 | 15.6% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 14.4% | -7.4% |
| 1979 | 18.0% | +24.8% |
| 1980 | 19.8% | +9.7% |
| 1981 | 19.1% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 21.0% | +10.4% |
| 1983 | 23.6% | +12.0% |
| 1984 | 24.4% | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 25.0% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 25.0% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 31.8% | +27.3% |
| 1991 | 25.1% | -21.1% |
| 1992 | 26.1% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 26.6% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 29.9% | +12.4% |
| 1997 | 29.5% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 32.5% | +10.1% |
| 1999 | 36.2% | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 35.0% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 34.8% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 33.9% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 33.6% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 33.6% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 33.1% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 34.7% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 34.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 34.7% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 38.0% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 37.0% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 38.9% | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 40.5% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 40.1% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 41.0% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 40.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 41.9% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 41.5% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 42.7% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 42.8% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 48.1% | +12.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 48.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.8%, 1.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 48.1% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 36.5%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.2% | 6.5% | 18.0% | 9 |
| 1980s | 23.7% | 19.1% | 31.8% | 8 |
| 1990s | 29.4% | 25.1% | 36.2% | 7 |
| 2000s | 34.1% | 33.0% | 35.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.6% | 36.5% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.8% | 41.5% | 48.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in Saudi Arabia?
- Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in Saudi Arabia was 48.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 1971.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 64th out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release