Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female was 60.0% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
60.0%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
68th
of 153 countries
All-time high
60.1%
in 2022
All-time low
56.6%
in 2018
Years of data
6
2017–2023
Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female in South Africa, 2017–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female in South Africa stood at 60.0%.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
That places South Africa 68th out of 153 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 58.3% | — |
| 2018 | 56.6% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 58.1% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 58.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 60.1% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 60.0% | -0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 60.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 62.1%, 97% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 60.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.3%, 3.0× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 57.7% | 56.6% | 58.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 59.4% | 58.2% | 60.1% | 3 |
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 upper secondary education who are female in South Africa?
- Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female in South Africa was 60.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 60.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female?
- South Africa ranks 68th out of 153 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of teachers in upper secondary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release