According to a study presented in Madrid by UNESCO and the SM Foundation, there is a shortage of 44 million teachers in classrooms worldwide. The situation is particularly critical in secondary schools, where a shortage of more than 3 million teachers is expected by 2030.
“Tehsil365” reports that there is currently a global shortage of 44 million teachers needed to ensure access to primary and secondary education. This is not only an issue in countries with growing populations, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in Europe and North America, where increasing numbers of teachers are leaving the profession. This finding is confirmed in the Global Report on the Teacher Workforce, presented on Tuesday in Madrid by UNESCO, the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, and the SM Foundation.
Why are teachers leaving the classroom? According to the report, the main reasons relate to working conditions: salaries, workload, and access to resources. These factors are behind the rise in teacher attrition rates in primary schools—from 4.6% in 2015 to nearly 9% today. Carlos Vargas, head of UNESCO’s Teacher Development Section, emphasizes: “Only 50% of countries worldwide pay teachers more than other professionals with similar qualifications; in other words, half of the world’s teachers earn less than their peers in comparable professions.”
However, salary is not the only factor. Vargas notes: “There are countries where teachers are well paid and have better working conditions, yet they still leave.” The report points to other symbolic factors tied to the teaching crisis: “The status of teachers, and the trust we place in them in the classroom and in public policy. Teachers can transform education, but for that to happen, there must be confidence in their abilities,” concludes the UNESCO spokesperson.
As the report highlights, this crisis also exists in Spain. Alongside STEM subjects such as mathematics and science, there is also a shortage of teachers in Latin, Greek, and philosophy. According to Maite Ortiz, president of the SM Foundation, more than 720 mathematics teaching positions went unfilled in 2023. “These vacancies are being filled by non-specialist teachers,” Ortiz notes. Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) show that only 28.8% of young graduates obtain degrees in STEM fields. Higher salaries in other sectors—such as technology, banking, and finance—mean that the flow of teachers into key future-oriented fields, such as artificial intelligence, remains limited.
Another factor contributing to this crisis in Spain is the instability of teaching jobs. More than 20% of teachers in Spain work under temporary contracts. In addition, Ortiz notes that “burnout and low morale are worsening the profession’s situation.” According to the report, teachers cite multiple sources of dissatisfaction: frequent legislative changes that ignore their perspectives, a disconnect between their initial training and the realities of the classroom, the absence of a clearly defined teaching career path, and the growing administrative workload they are expected to manage.