Teacher shortages are straining most education systems in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with recruitment hardest in mathematics, science and in rural, remote and disadvantaged communities, a new OECD report says.
Education at a Glance 2026, the OECD's annual compendium of comparable national statistics on education worldwide, was released Tuesday and focuses this year on teacher shortages. An ageing teaching workforce is set to add to the pressure in the years ahead.
OECD secretary-general Mathias Cormann said it is "getting harder to recruit, retain and deploy qualified teachers where they are most needed." He said school systems need to plan ahead, keep the teachers they already have and grow the teacher pipeline without lowering standards.
Official vacancy figures tell only part of the story. In all 20 education systems with available data, unfilled posts made up less than 4% of the combined primary and secondary teaching workforce in 2024/25. Shortages, however, are often concentrated in particular subjects, schools and regions. Among 16 countries and economies with data, 11 reported shortages of fully qualified mathematics and science teachers at the secondary level.
Qualifications are another pressure point. In 2024/25, an average of 9% of primary and secondary teachers across OECD countries were not fully qualified. The share exceeded 18% in Chile, Denmark, Estonia and Germany, while Japan and Korea require teachers to be fully qualified before entering the profession. The share of teachers without full certification reportedly rose in two-thirds of reporting countries between 2017-18 and 2024-25.
The workforce is also ageing. One in four secondary teachers across the OECD is 55 or older, adding to recruitment pressures.
Pay matters but is not the only factor, the report says. On average, teachers earn between 87% and 95% of what other tertiary-educated workers earn, while starting salaries for lower secondary teachers average 61% of those of similarly educated workers. Workloads, professional autonomy, school leadership, career development and public recognition also shape the profession's appeal.
Teachers themselves report mixed feelings. While 85% say they are satisfied with their jobs, only 22% believe teaching is valued by society.
Shortages persist in the education sector
The OECD also links teacher shortages to wider shortages of skilled workers, with education systems competing with other sectors for highly qualified staff.
Nearly 40% of 15-year-olds attended schools in 2025 where principals said teacher shortages hampered instruction, up from 27% in 2018. Cormann estimated schools will need 44 million more primary and secondary teachers by 2030, based on UNESCO data.
Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director for education and skills, linked the lack of qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers in part to this year's declines in student performance on international tests, Education Week reported. He said that "no STEM teachers means poor STEM education."
Australian principals report similar strain. RMIT University associate professor Reece Mills wrote in August that more than four in 10 Australian secondary school principals say teacher shortages are hurting education quality in their schools, nearly double the OECD average and up from 14% in 2018.
The OECD says systems can address shortages by making better use of existing teaching capacity and broadening pathways into the profession while maintaining standards. Its report summary says well-designed pathways for mid-career professionals can help expand and diversify the workforce. Technology, including artificial intelligence, and specialised support staff can reduce administrative burdens and free teachers to teach. Schleicher cautioned that AI is unlikely to make up for shortfalls in actual instruction.
Demographic change offers an opportunity. The number of children aged 5-14 across the OECD is projected to fall 9% between 2024 and 2033, though unevenly across communities. The OECD notes that teacher numbers and classes have not always declined as enrolment has fallen. Policymakers can redirect teachers and resources to the schools, subjects and communities where shortages are most acute, the OECD says.
The report analyses the OECD's 38 member countries, plus Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Peru, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Thailand.