Tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Tertiary education, academic staff was 25.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
25.9%
Change on year
down 1.4%
Rank
36th
of 43 groups
All-time high
26.6%
in 2020
All-time low
18.6%
in 1976
Years of data
53
1972–2024

Tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries, 1972–2024

0102030197219982024

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % female.

Analysis

The most recent figure for tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries is 25.9%, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries peaked at 26.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 1976.

Least developed countries ranks 36th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.

Tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) in Least developed countries, 1972 to 2024.
Year % female Change
1972 20.6%
1973 21.0% +2.0%
1974 19.2% -8.8%
1975 19.1% -0.4%
1976 18.6% -2.9%
1977 19.8% +6.5%
1978 19.1% -3.2%
1979 20.2% +5.8%
1980 20.0% -1.1%
1981 20.4% +1.9%
1982 19.0% -7.0%
1983 19.4% +2.2%
1984 20.3% +4.6%
1985 22.0% +8.6%
1986 21.9% -0.7%
1987 23.5% +7.3%
1988 22.0% -6.4%
1989 21.7% -1.4%
1990 20.8% -3.8%
1991 20.1% -3.5%
1992 19.9% -0.8%
1993 19.7% -1.0%
1994 20.2% +2.3%
1995 20.1% -0.7%
1996 20.8% +3.6%
1997 21.4% +3.1%
1998 21.8% +1.9%
1999 21.7% -0.6%
2000 21.8% +0.6%
2001 21.1% -3.3%
2002 21.4% +1.3%
2003 21.0% -1.8%
2004 20.7% -1.5%
2005 20.6% -0.4%
2006 20.6% -0.4%
2007 21.4% +4.1%
2008 22.1% +3.2%
2009 22.2% +0.4%
2010 22.1% -0.1%
2011 22.8% +2.8%
2012 22.9% +0.6%
2013 23.0% +0.7%
2014 23.5% +2.1%
2015 24.8% +5.3%
2016 26.0% +5.0%
2017 25.9% -0.6%
2018 25.9% +0.2%
2019 26.6% +2.5%
2020 26.6% +0.1%
2021 26.4% -0.6%
2022 26.5% +0.4%
2023 26.3% -1.0%
2024 25.9% -1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 19.7% 18.6% 21.0% 8
1980s 21.0% 19.0% 23.5% 10
1990s 20.7% 19.7% 21.8% 10
2000s 21.3% 20.6% 22.2% 10
2010s 24.3% 22.1% 26.6% 10
2020s 26.3% 25.9% 26.6% 5

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 34 Guyana 52.7% compare
  2. 35 Lesotho 52.6% compare
  3. 36 Romania 52.3% compare
  4. 37 Bulgaria 52.3% compare
  5. 38 United States of America 51.7% compare
  6. 39 Philippines 51.2% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More education data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries?
Tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries was 25.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest tertiary education, academic staff recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 26.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest tertiary education, academic staff recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 1976.
How does Least developed countries rank for tertiary education, academic staff?
Least developed countries ranks 36th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
Is tertiary education, academic staff rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Tertiary education, academic staff (% female). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Tertiary education, academic staff in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/tertiary-education-academic-staff-percent-female/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)
Unit
% female
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
215 places, 5,482 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) is the share of female academic staff in tertiary education.