Colombia: Secondary education, vocational pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Colombia's secondary education, vocational pupils rose 1.1% on 2017 (from 358,914 to 362,733).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2017), the average change was +3.8% and a typical year strayed about 9.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 21% in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 25.2% in 2011. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2018, Colombia had the 8th highest value of the 64 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

• Bangladesh — 5th of 64: 757,289
• Thailand — 6th of 64: 656,118
• Pakistan — 7th of 64: 446,376
• Guatemala — 9th of 64: 351,870
• Malaysia — 10th of 64: 285,095
• Ecuador — 11th of 64: 269,817

What this measures

Secondary vocational pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in technical and vocational education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 40 values

Secondary education, vocational pupils in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 282 (2018)
• Belize — 3,301 (2018)
• Bolivia — 788,570 (2018)
• Brazil — 956,632 (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 79 (2017)
• Chile — 292,757 (2017)
• Costa Rica — 108,578 (2018)
• Cuba — 207,590 (2018)
• Dominica — 0 (2015)
• Dominican Republic — 75,571 (2018)
• Ecuador

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)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 23.3 (2018)

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 secondary education, vocational pupils?

362,733 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 71.44% from 211,576 in 1970 (1.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 914,664 in 1996 and the lowest 211,576 in 1970.

How does Colombia rank?

8th highest of 64 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in secondary education, vocational pupils unusual for Colombia?

In 2018, Colombia's secondary education, vocational pupils rose 1.1% on 2017 (from 358,914 to 362,733). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2017), the average change was +3.8% and a typical year strayed about 9.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.SEC.ENRL.VO, 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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