Researchers (FTE) - % Female in South Africa

South Africa: Researchers (FTE) - % Female was 47.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
47.7%
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
24th
of 78 countries
All-time high
47.7%
in 2022
All-time low
34.7%
in 2001
Years of data
21
2001–2022

Researchers (FTE) - % Female in South Africa, 2001–2022

010203040502001201120222001: 34.72003: 35.82004: 372005: 36.22006: 38.32007: 382008: 38.42009: 392010: 40.92011: 41.72012: 43.42013: 43.52014: 44.12015: 44.12016: 44.62017: 44.42018: 452019: 45.42020: 46.52021: 46.72022: 47.7

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for researchers (fte) - % female in South Africa is 47.7%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers (fte) - % female in South Africa peaked at 47.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 34.7%, in 2001.

That places South Africa 24th out of 78 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Researchers (FTE) - % Female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Researchers (FTE) - % Female in South Africa, 2001 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2001 34.7%
2003 35.8% +3.1%
2004 37.0% +3.3%
2005 36.2% -1.9%
2006 38.3% +5.7%
2007 38.0% -0.7%
2008 38.4% +0.9%
2009 39.0% +1.7%
2010 40.9% +4.7%
2011 41.7% +2.0%
2012 43.4% +4.2%
2013 43.5% +0.3%
2014 44.1% +1.2%
2015 44.1% +0.1%
2016 44.6% +1.2%
2017 44.4% -0.5%
2018 45.0% +1.3%
2019 45.4% +1.0%
2020 46.5% +2.4%
2021 46.7% +0.3%
2022 47.7% +2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 37.2% 34.7% 39.0% 8
2010s 43.7% 40.9% 45.4% 10
2020s 47.0% 46.5% 47.7% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Malaysia 50.2% compare
  2. 22 Thailand 49.8% compare
  3. 23 Croatia 48.4% compare
  4. 25 Panama 47.3% compare
  5. 26 Bulgaria 46.5% compare
  6. 27 Pakistan 46.5% compare

See the full ranking of 78 places →

More science & technology data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers (fte) - % female in South Africa?
Researchers (fte) - % female in South Africa was 47.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers (fte) - % female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 47.7% in 2022.
What is the lowest researchers (fte) - % female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 2001.
How does South Africa rank for researchers (fte) - % female?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 78 countries with data for 2022.
Is researchers (fte) - % female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Researchers (FTE) - % Female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Researchers (FTE) - % Female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-fte-percent-female/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-fte-percent-female/south-africa/">Researchers (FTE) - % Female in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Researchers (FTE) - % Female
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
78 places, 1,140 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release