Tertiary education, academic staff in United States

United States: Tertiary education, academic staff was 51.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
51.7%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
38th
of 170 countries
All-time high
51.7%
in 2023
All-time low
25.3%
in 1975
Years of data
18
1975–2023

Tertiary education, academic staff in United States, 1975–2023

02040601975199920231975: 25.3 % female1988: 33.2 % female1990: 35.2 % female1991: 35.2 % female1993: 36.4 % female1994: 38.7 % female1995: 38.6 % female1996: 38.6 % female2014: 49.1 % female2015: 49.1 % female2016: 49.4 % female2017: 49.6 % female2018: 49.9 % female2019: 50.2 % female2020: 50.6 % female2021: 50.9 % female2022: 51.3 % female2023: 51.7 % female

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

Analysis

United States recorded 51.7% for tertiary education, academic staff in 2023. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tertiary education, academic staff in United States peaked at 51.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 1975.

United States ranks 38th of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Tertiary education, academic staff in United States, year by year

Annual values for Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) in United States, 1975 to 2023.
Year % female Change
1975 25.3%
1988 33.2% +31.2%
1990 35.2% +6.1%
1991 35.2% -0.0%
1993 36.4% +3.4%
1994 38.7% +6.3%
1995 38.6% -0.2%
1996 38.6% -0.0%
2014 49.1% +27.1%
2015 49.1% +0.0%
2016 49.4% +0.7%
2017 49.6% +0.3%
2018 49.9% +0.6%
2019 50.2% +0.7%
2020 50.6% +0.8%
2021 50.9% +0.5%
2022 51.3% +0.9%
2023 51.7% +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 25.3% 25.3% 25.3% 1
1980s 33.2% 33.2% 33.2% 1
1990s 37.1% 35.2% 38.7% 6
2010s 49.5% 49.1% 50.2% 6
2020s 51.1% 50.6% 51.7% 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 35 Lesotho 52.6% compare
  2. 36 Romania 52.3% compare
  3. 37 Bulgaria 52.3% compare
  4. 39 Philippines 51.2% compare
  5. 40 Croatia 51.1% compare
  6. 41 Viet Nam 51.1% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More education data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is tertiary education, academic staff in United States?
Tertiary education, academic staff in United States was 51.7% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest tertiary education, academic staff recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 51.7% in 2023.
What is the lowest tertiary education, academic staff recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 1975.
How does United States rank for tertiary education, academic staff?
United States ranks 38th out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
Is tertiary education, academic staff rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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 United States. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/tertiary-education-academic-staff-percent-female/united-states/

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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.