More than 40 million extra teachers needed worldwide by 2030, Unesco warns

The share of primary teachers leaving the profession has nearly doubled between 2015 and 2022

More than 40 million new teachers will be needed worldwide by 2030 to meet growing demand, Unesco warns. The gap is sharpest in Sub-Saharan Africa, where almost double the current number of teachers will be required. Europe and North America face smaller gaps, but still need millions of new educators to keep standards from slipping.

South and South-East Asia already has the largest teacher workforce, 22 million, but even there, another 12 million will be needed by 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa must nearly double its teaching staff, from 8 million today to 15 million. In the Middle East and North Africa, the shortfall is around 4 million, as student numbers continue to rise.

Attrition is making the problem worse. Globally, the share of primary teachers leaving the profession nearly doubled between 2015 and 2022, from 4.6% to 9%. Many quit within the first five years, citing low pay, high stress and heavy workloads.

As the world approaches 2030, the shortage of teachers has become one of the biggest obstacles to achieving universal education. Unesco's Teacher Task Force report warns that the crisis is deepening and the impact of this means growing class sizes, overstretched teachers and staff, widening inequalities, and financial pressure on education systems.

Middle East & North Africa snapshot

The report also highlights sharp regional disparities in student–teacher ratios:

• Lebanon and Syria: highest in the region, averaging 40–49 pupils per teacher
• Egypt: 30–39 pupils per teacher
• Algeria, Morocco, and Palestine: 20–29 pupils per teacher
• Other countries: generally fewer than 20 pupils per teacher

Pay is also uneven. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE continue to offer some of the most competitive teacher salaries in the Middle East region, attracting both local and international staff.

New pressures in the UAE

In the UAE, the start of the new academic year in 2025 brings additional demand for teachers. Arabic lessons are now mandatory from nursery level upwards, while AI has been introduced into the curriculum, both requiring highly specialised educators. The shortage will be felt most acutely in these skilled roles.