European Union: Pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, European Union's pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary fell 0.03 on 2017 (from 12.81 to 12.77).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2017), the average change was −0.18 and a typical year strayed about 0.25 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 0.44 in 1973 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.98 in 2003. 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 0.04 a year. A straight line explains 46% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Preprimary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in preprimary 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 49 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary in nearby economies

• Bahrain — 14.4 (2018)
• Djibouti — 14.4 (2018)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 26.04 (2018)
• Jordan — 17.56 (2018)
• Kuwait — 8.33 (2018)
• Lebanon — 15.62 (2017)
• Malta — 11.79 (2017)
• Oman — 20.77 (2018)
• Qatar — 14.83 (2018)
• Saudi Arabia — 15.04 (2018)
• Tunisia — 15.24 (2016)

More education data for European Union

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 23.26 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 1.89 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 85.61% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 37.39 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 3.39 million (2024)
• Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort) — 97.7% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is European Union's pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary?

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 39.42% from 21.08 in 1970 (1.04% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 21.54 in 1975 and the lowest 12.65 in 2014.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary unusual for European Union?

In 2018, European Union's pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary fell 0.03 on 2017 (from 12.81 to 12.77). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2017), the average change was −0.18 and a typical year strayed about 0.25 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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).

Source

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