Bangladesh: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Since 1970 it is down 35.34% from 46.48 in 1970 (0.9% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 21 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Bangladesh's pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 0.00003 on 2017 (from 30.05 to 30.05).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2017), the average change was +0.71 and a typical year strayed about 3.66 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.79 in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.45 in 1984. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2018, Bangladesh had the 23rd highest value of the 83 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bangladesh in the 2018 ranking

• Bhutan — 19th of 83: 34.67
• Mauritania — 20th of 83: 34.28
• Mongolia — 21st of 83: 30.38
• Djibouti — 23rd of 83: 29.37
• Comoros — 24th of 83: 28.06
• Sierra Leone — 25th of 83: 27.52

What this measures

Primary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in primary school.

Limitations: The comparability of pupil-teacher ratios across countries is affected by the definition of teachers and by differences in class size by grade and in the number of hours taught, as well as the different practices countries employ such as part-time teachers, school shifts, and multi-grade classes. Moreover, the underlying enrollment levels are subject to a variety of reporting errors.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 28 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Bhutan — 34.67 (2018)
• India — 32.75 (2017)
• Maldives — 10.16 (2017)
• Nepal — 19.74 (2019)
• Sri Lanka — 21.74 (2018)

More education data for Bangladesh

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 23.73% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.77 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 20.79% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 26.95% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 15.07 million (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bangladesh's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

30.05 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 35.34% from 46.48 in 1970 (0.9% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 63 in 1990 and the lowest 30.05 in 2017.

How does Bangladesh rank?

23rd highest of 83 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, primary unusual for Bangladesh?

In 2018, Bangladesh's pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 0.00003 on 2017 (from 30.05 to 30.05). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2017), the average change was +0.71 and a typical year strayed about 3.66 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.ENRL.TC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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