Bangladesh: Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary

Key figures

Since 1970 it is up 127.29% from 16.33 in 1970 (1.73% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 17 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, tertiary rose 6.78 on 2017 (from 30.34 to 37.12).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1977 to 2017), the average change was +0.46 and a typical year strayed about 3.38 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.09 in 1979 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.08 in 1987. 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 2nd highest value of the 45 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

• Myanmar — 2nd of 45: 35.52
• Sri Lanka — 3rd of 45: 29.76
• Morocco — 4th of 45: 28.74

What this measures

Tertiary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in tertiary 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 32 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in nearby economies

• Bhutan — 15.59 (2018)
• India — 24.73 (2018)
• Sri Lanka — 29.76 (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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 127.29% from 16.33 in 1970 (1.73% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 37.12 in 2018 and the lowest 9.79 in 1978.

How does Bangladesh rank?

2nd highest of 45 economies with data for 2018.

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

In 2018, Bangladesh's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary rose 6.78 on 2017 (from 30.34 to 37.12). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1977 to 2017), the average change was +0.46 and a typical year strayed about 3.38 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.TER.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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