Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa: Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female was 25.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, 1985–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 25.4% for percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in 2021.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 29.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 17.6%, in 1985.
That places UIS: Sub-saharan Africa 195th out of 221 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 17.6% | — |
| 1986 | 18.0% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 19.0% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 19.6% | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 20.8% | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 21.2% | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 21.3% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 22.0% | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 23.1% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 24.9% | +7.9% |
| 1995 | 25.8% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 26.6% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 27.4% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 28.2% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 29.0% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 27.7% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 26.5% | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 25.9% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 24.8% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 23.5% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 22.9% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 21.6% | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 20.3% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 19.4% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 23.4% | +20.5% |
| 2012 | 23.6% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 23.9% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 24.3% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 24.9% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 24.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 24.9% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 24.6% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 25.4% | +3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.0% | 17.6% | 20.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 25.0% | 21.2% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.9% | 20.3% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 19.4% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.0% | 24.6% | 25.4% | 2 |
More education data for UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 9.73 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7518 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 37.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 40.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.04 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.63 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.6 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.53 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa was 25.4% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female recorded in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female recorded in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 1985.
- How does UIS: Sub-saharan Africa rank for percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female?
- UIS: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 195th out of 221 groups with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female rising or falling in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UIS: Sub-saharan Africa 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release