British Virgin Islands: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Since 1971 it is down 49.35% from 22.94 in 1971 (1.47% 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 2017, British Virgin Islands' pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 1.08 on 2016 (from 10.54 to 11.62).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was −0.52 and a typical year strayed about 1.18 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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 1.12 in 1973 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.9 in 2003. 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 2017, British Virgin Islands had the 40th highest value of the 50 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 British Virgin Islands in the 2017 ranking

• Cyprus — 37th of 50: 12.04
• Netherlands — 38th of 50: 11.81
• Malaysia — 39th of 50: 11.66
• Latvia — 41st of 50: 11.54
• Italy — 42nd of 50: 11.48
• Estonia — 43rd of 50: 11.31

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 30 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 12.41 (2018)
• Bahamas, The — 19.45 (2018)
• Barbados — 13.99 (2018)
• Belize — 19.78 (2018)
• Brazil — 20.22 (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 15.75 (2018)
• Chile — 17.79 (2017)
• Colombia — 23.3 (2018)
• Costa Rica — 12.2 (2018)
• Cuba — 9.16 (2018)
• Dominica — 13.08 (2016)

More education data for British Virgin Islands

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 1,626 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 72.78% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 73.55% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 72.03% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 2,300 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is British Virgin Islands's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

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

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 49.35% from 22.94 in 1971 (1.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 22.94 in 1971 and the lowest 10.54 in 2016.

How does British Virgin Islands rank?

40th highest of 50 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, primary unusual for British Virgin Islands?

In 2017, British Virgin Islands' pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 1.08 on 2016 (from 10.54 to 11.62). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was −0.52 and a typical year strayed about 1.18 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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.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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