While over a quarter of U.S. undergraduates are now in STEM fields, the true story of global STEM education is a powerful but uneven surge, marked by rapid growth, persistent gaps, and a race to prepare for the future of work.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, 26% of U.S. undergraduates were enrolled in STEM fields
- Globally, STEM graduates represent 25% of all tertiary graduates in OECD countries as of 2019
- Female enrollment in STEM bachelor's programs in the U.S. was 24% in 2020
- In the U.S., only 16% of high school seniors proficient in math for STEM readiness in 2019
- Gender gap in computer science AP scores: males 22% higher pass rate 2022
- Black students' STEM bachelor's completion rate 20% lower than whites 2020
- U.S. teacher quality explains 25% of STEM achievement variance 2021
- Only 35% of U.S. elementary teachers feel prepared to teach science 2020
- STEM teacher turnover rate 16% annually in U.S. high-poverty schools 2019
- U.S. Funding for STEM education K-12 was $3.9B in FY2022 via ESSER
- NSF awarded $1.1B for STEM education research 2022
- U.S. federal R&D funding for STEM training $40B annually 2021
- U.S. STEM workforce grew 10% to 36M from 2019-2022
- 80% of future U.S. jobs require STEM skills by 2030 projection
- STEM graduates earn 33% more median salary U.S. $95K 2022
STEM education is growing globally but faces significant equity and teacher shortage challenges.
Achievement Gaps
- In the U.S., only 16% of high school seniors proficient in math for STEM readiness in 2019
- Gender gap in computer science AP scores: males 22% higher pass rate 2022
- Black students' STEM bachelor's completion rate 20% lower than whites 2020
- In PISA 2018, U.S. girls trailed boys in math by 5 points on average
- Hispanic students underrepresented in advanced STEM courses by 30% 2021
- Low-income U.S. students 4x less likely to take calculus in high school 2019
- In OECD, U.S. ranks 37th in science proficiency among 15-year-olds 2018
- Female STEM PhD completion rate 10% below males globally 2020
- Rural students score 12 points lower on NAEP science 2019
- In TIMSS 2019, U.S. 4th graders math gap between top/bottom quartile 100 points
- Asian American students outperform others by 50 SAT math points in STEM prep 2022
- English learners lag 25% in STEM proficiency rates U.S. 2021
- In EU, migrant students trail natives by 40 PISA science points 2018
- U.S. disabled students STEM graduation rate 15% vs 35% non-disabled 2020
- Boys outperform girls in physics by 15% on international assessments 2019
- In India, urban-rural STEM achievement gap 28% in national tests 2021
- U.S. low SES students 3x less likely to score advanced in science NAEP 2019
- Female underrepresentation in top math quartile: 2:1 male-female ratio OECD 2018
- Black females have 35% lower STEM persistence rate in college 2020
- In Australia, Indigenous students trail in STEM NAPLAN by 2 years 2022
- U.S. charter schools close 10% of STEM gap for minorities 2021 study
- Global gender gap in tertiary STEM graduation: 15% worldwide 2020
- In UK, BAME students 12% lower STEM attainment 8 level 2021
- U.S. foster care youth STEM dropout rate 50% higher 2019
- In Canada, First Nations math proficiency 20% below average PISA 2018
- U.S. gifted programs underrepresented minorities by 40% in STEM 2020
- Girls in single-sex schools close 8% math gap OECD 2019
- U.S. 8th grade science NAEP gap Black-White 36 points 2019
- In South Africa, gender parity in STEM matric passes achieved 70% 2022
Achievement Gaps Interpretation
The statistics paint a stark portrait of a leaky and inequitable STEM pipeline, where systemic gaps in access, opportunity, and support persistently drain potential based on zip code, race, gender, and income long before talent ever reaches the lab.
Enrollment Statistics
- In 2021, 26% of U.S. undergraduates were enrolled in STEM fields
- Globally, STEM graduates represent 25% of all tertiary graduates in OECD countries as of 2019
- Female enrollment in STEM bachelor's programs in the U.S. was 24% in 2020
- In India, STEM enrollment in higher education grew by 18% from 2015 to 2020
- U.S. K-12 students participating in STEM programs increased by 12% between 2016 and 2020
- In the EU, 37% of tertiary students studied STEM subjects in 2020
- African American students comprised 9% of STEM undergraduates in U.S. in 2019
- STEM course enrollment in Australian universities reached 320,000 students in 2021
- In China, STEM higher education enrollment hit 10.5 million in 2022
- Hispanic/Latino STEM enrollment in U.S. grew 10% from 2017-2021
- U.S. community college STEM enrollment was 1.2 million in 2018
- In Canada, 40% of university students were in STEM fields in 2020
- Women made up 35% of STEM master's enrollees in U.S. 2021
- UK STEM undergraduate enrollment rose 5% to 380,000 in 2022
- In Brazil, STEM tertiary enrollment was 28% of total in 2019
- U.S. online STEM course enrollment surged 44% during COVID-19 in 2020
- In Japan, STEM university enrollment accounted for 32% in 2021
- Rural U.S. STEM high school enrollment lags urban by 15% as of 2022
- South Korea's STEM tertiary enrollment rate is 45% in 2020
- In Germany, 50% of engineering students are in STEM programs 2021
- U.S. STEM PhD enrollment for international students was 55% in 2021
- In Mexico, STEM enrollment in universities doubled since 2010 to 1.8M in 2022
- Female STEM enrollment in Saudi Arabia increased 30% from 2015-2020
- U.S. AP STEM exam participation grew 9% to 1.1M in 2022
- In France, 34% of higher ed students in STEM 2021
- Native American STEM undergrad enrollment is 0.5% of total U.S. 2020
- Singapore's STEM enrollment in polys/technics is 60% 2022
- In Russia, STEM makes up 42% of university admissions 2021
- U.S. dual enrollment in STEM courses reached 250,000 high schoolers 2021
Enrollment Statistics Interpretation
The global sprint toward a STEM-powered future is running at two speeds: a promising surge of overall enrollment is being simultaneously hampered by stubborn participation gaps that leave too many brilliant minds waiting at the starting block.
Funding and Resources
- U.S. Funding for STEM education K-12 was $3.9B in FY2022 via ESSER
- NSF awarded $1.1B for STEM education research 2022
- U.S. federal R&D funding for STEM training $40B annually 2021
- Global STEM education market size $127B in 2023 projection
- UK allocated £1B for STEM schools infrastructure 2022-2025
- U.S. Title I funds 20% directed to STEM in high-need schools 2021
- China STEM education budget 4.5% of GDP 2022
- EU Horizon program $100B includes 15% STEM ed 2021-2027
- Philanthropy for U.S. STEM ed $500M/year from Gates et al. 2022
- India Digital India $1.2T includes STEM tech infra 2023
- U.S. state STEM funding avg $50/student K-12 2021
- Australia National STEM Ed Strategy $190M 2018-2026
- Corporate sponsorship U.S. STEM $2B annually 2022 Intel etc.
- Brazil FUNDEB allocates 10% to STEM teacher training 2022
- Japan MEXT STEM budget ¥700B 2023
- U.S. IDEA special ed STEM resources $13B 2022
- Canada provincial STEM grants CAD 200M 2022
- Venture capital in STEM edtech $16B global 2022
- South Africa SETA STEM bursaries R2B 2023
- U.S. 21st CCLC afterschool STEM $1.2B serves 1.7M kids 2021
- Germany Länder STEM lab funding €500M 2022
- Philanthropic STEM equity funds $300M U.S. 2021
- Singapore Smart Nation STEM $2.4B 2023-2027
- Mexico CONACYT STEM scholarships 100K students $500M 2022
- U.S. private STEM foundations $1.5B 2022 Carnegie etc.
- France Plan France 2030 €30B tech ed 2021
- Crowdfunding STEM projects $100M global 2022 Kickstarter
Funding and Resources Interpretation
Amidst this global gold rush of billions for STEM, one can't help but think we're finally pricing the alarming cost of having underfunded it for generations.
Future Workforce
- U.S. STEM workforce grew 10% to 36M from 2019-2022
- 80% of future U.S. jobs require STEM skills by 2030 projection
- STEM graduates earn 33% more median salary U.S. $95K 2022
- Women in STEM workforce 28% U.S. 2022
- Projected global STEM job shortage 85M by 2030 World Economic Forum
- U.S. STEM occupations growth 10.5% 2021-2031 BLS
- Black STEM workers 9% of total U.S. 2021
- Engineering jobs to grow 7% U.S. adding 188K 2022-2032
- AI/ML STEM roles up 74% since 2019 LinkedIn 2023
- Hispanic STEM employment 8% U.S. 2022
- Global STEM unemployment 3.5% vs 5% general 2022 ILO
- U.S. computer occupations 377K new jobs projected 2022-2032
- Female STEM CEOs 10% Fortune 500 2023
- In EU, STEM jobs 13M 2022 growing 12% by 2030
- U.S. biotech STEM jobs up 7% to 800K 2022
- India STEM workforce 15M 2023 target 25M by 2027
- Veteran STEM employment 12% above civilian avg U.S. 2021
- Data science roles demand up 37% U.S. 2023 Indeed
- UK STEM employment 10% of workforce 6.4M 2022
- Cybersecurity STEM jobs 3.5M global shortage 2023 ISC2
- U.S. healthcare STEM occupations 5M growing 16% 2022-2032
- China STEM labor force 100M+ 2022
- Green energy STEM jobs 11M global by 2030 IRENA
- U.S. underrepresented minorities 24% STEM workforce 2022
- Australia STEM grads employment rate 89% 2021
Future Workforce Interpretation
The future is a high-paying, high-demand STEM party, but we've sent the invitation to only a fraction of the potential guests, and the bouncer at the door is still favoring a very specific crowd.
Teacher Statistics
- U.S. teacher quality explains 25% of STEM achievement variance 2021
- Only 35% of U.S. elementary teachers feel prepared to teach science 2020
- STEM teacher turnover rate 16% annually in U.S. high-poverty schools 2019
- In OECD, 70% of lower secondary teachers teach math/science 2021
- U.S. STEM certified teachers shortage: 100,000 positions unfilled 2022
- Female STEM teachers comprise 48% of K-12 workforce U.S. 2021
- Professional development in STEM reached 60% of U.S. teachers 2020
- In UK, STEM teacher retention dropped to 75% after 5 years 2021
- 25% of U.S. physics teachers lack degree in physics or related 2019
- India trains 1 million STEM teachers via NISHTHA by 2023
- U.S. STEM teacher salaries 20% below other college grads 2022
- In Australia, 82% of secondary math teachers STEM qualified 2021
- Global shortage of 69 million teachers includes STEM by 2030 UNESCO
- U.S. minority STEM teachers only 18% of total 2020
- Canada STEM teacher PD hours average 40/year 2021
- In China, 95% of primary teachers STEM certified 2022
- EU STEM teacher aging: 40% over 50 by 2025 projection
- U.S. alternatively certified STEM teachers up 50% since 2010
- Brazil invests R$1B in STEM teacher training 2022
- In Japan, STEM teacher ratio 1:15 students 2021
- U.S. computer science teachers: only 51% qualified 2022
- South Korea STEM teacher satisfaction 85% 2020 survey
- In Germany, STEM teacher vacancies 25% in math 2022
- U.S. STEM mentors for teachers grew 30% via NSF grants 2021
- UK specialist STEM teachers 65% of secondary 2021
- In Mexico, 70% STEM teachers lack ongoing training 2020
- Global STEM teacher gender balance 55% female 2021
- U.S. high school STEM teacher experience avg 14 years 2018
- Singapore invests SGD 1B in STEM teacher upskilling 2023
- In France, STEM teacher certification rate 92% 2021
Teacher Statistics Interpretation
While teacher quality decisively shapes a quarter of STEM outcomes, nations are grappling with a chronic recipe of underpreparedness, high turnover, and stark shortages, revealing a global classroom where the foundation of future innovation is being laid on profoundly uneven ground.
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