Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female was 47.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1983–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 47.8%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 47.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 1983.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 67th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 13.8% | — |
| 1984 | 17.2% | +24.9% |
| 1986 | 15.1% | -12.0% |
| 1987 | 15.3% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 17.3% | +12.6% |
| 1989 | 18.0% | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 19.6% | +8.7% |
| 1991 | 20.9% | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 20.0% | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 20.9% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 21.4% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 27.6% | +29.1% |
| 1996 | 29.6% | +7.0% |
| 1997 | 30.7% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 32.4% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 33.1% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 33.9% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 35.0% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 36.2% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 38.5% | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 39.9% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 41.4% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 41.7% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 42.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 43.2% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 43.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 43.8% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 44.1% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 44.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 44.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 44.8% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 45.2% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 45.5% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 46.3% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 46.0% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 46.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 47.2% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 47.8% | +1.3% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 47.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.8%, 1.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 47.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 49.7%, 96% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +29.1% | 21.4% | 27.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.1% | 13.8% | 18.0% | 6 |
| 1990s | 24.8% | 19.6% | 32.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 38.3% | 33.1% | 42.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.5% | 43.2% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.8% | 46.0% | 47.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 47.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 47.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 1983.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 67th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of teachers in tertiary education who are female rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release