Belgium: Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary

Key figures

Over five years it is up 2.42% from 16.55 in 2012 (0.48% a year on average, compounded). Since 1987 it is up 30.75% from 12.97 in 1987 (0.9% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 14 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Belgium's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary rose 0.29 on 2016 (from 16.67 to 16.95).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2016), the average change was +0.22 and a typical year strayed about 0.5 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 1 in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.97 in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.23 a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2017, Belgium had the 14th 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 Belgium in the 2017 ranking

• Brazil — 11th of 45: 19.24
• United Arab Emirates — 12th of 45: 18.42
• Botswana — 13th of 45: 18.25
• Tajikistan — 15th of 45: 16.66
• Namibia — 16th of 45: 16.64
• New Zealand — 17th of 45: 15.96

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 17 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in nearby economies

• Albania — 14.07 (2018)
• Andorra — 4.43 (2018)
• Armenia — 6.92 (2018)
• Austria — 7.18 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 9.92 (2018)
• Belarus — 13.86 (2018)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 9.37 (2018)
• Bulgaria — 11.25 (2017)
• Croatia — 9.76 (2016)
• Cyprus — 13.91 (2017)
• Estonia — 11.35 (2017)
• Finland

More education data for Belgium

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 814,388 (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 1.18 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.08 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.13 (2020)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

16.95 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1987?

It is up 30.75% from 12.97 in 1987 (0.9% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 17.63 in 2015 and the lowest 9.38 in 1989.

How does Belgium rank?

14th highest of 45 economies with data for 2017.

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

In 2017, Belgium's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary rose 0.29 on 2016 (from 16.67 to 16.95). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2016), the average change was +0.22 and a typical year strayed about 0.5 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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.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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