Colombia: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Colombia's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 0.3 on 2017 (from 23.6 to 23.3).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was −0.17 and a typical year strayed about 1 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 2.43 in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.83 in 1972. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.64 a year. A straight line explains 86% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 20.65 for 2021. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2016 to 2018 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.38, against 0.55 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2018, Colombia had the 37th 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 Colombia in the 2018 ranking

• Algeria — 34th of 83: 24.32
• Ecuador — 35th of 83: 24.26
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 36th of 83: 23.68
• Lao PDR — 38th of 83: 22.34
• Sri Lanka — 39th of 83: 21.74
• Uzbekistan — 40th of 83: 21.51

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 47 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)
• British Virgin Islands — 11.62 (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 15.75 (2018)
• Chile — 17.79 (2017)
• Costa Rica — 12.2 (2018)
• Cuba — 9.16 (2018)
• Dominica — 13.08 (2016)

More education data for Colombia

• 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) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.14 million (2022)
• Primary education, teachers — 180,781 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 4.85 million (2022)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.13% (2018)
• Secondary education, teachers — 190,940 (2022)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 39.01% from 38.21 in 1970 (1.02% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 38.4 in 1971 and the lowest 23.29 in 1998.

How does Colombia rank?

37th highest of 83 economies with data for 2018.

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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