Gambia, The: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Gambia, The's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.54 on 2017 (from 38.68 to 36.14).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2017), the average change was +0.32 and a typical year strayed about 2.96 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 8.55 in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.54 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 8 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, Gambia, The had the 18th 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 Gambia, The in the 2018 ranking

• Eritrea — 15th of 83: 38.74
• Mali — 16th of 83: 37.83
• Senegal — 17th of 83: 36.32
• Bhutan — 19th of 83: 34.67
• Mauritania — 20th of 83: 34.28
• Mongolia — 21st of 83: 30.38

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 44 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Angola — 50.03 (2015)
• Benin — 39.2 (2018)
• Botswana — 23.71 (2015)
• Burkina Faso — 39.72 (2018)
• Burundi — 42.52 (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 21.07 (2018)
• Cameroon — 44.83 (2018)
• Central African Republic — 83.41 (2016)
• Chad — 56.89 (2016)
• Comoros — 28.06 (2018)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 33.2 (2015)

More education data for Gambia, The

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 442,901 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.43% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 108.23% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 92.77% (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 13,495 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Gambia, The's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

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

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 31.56% from 27.47 in 1971 (0.59% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 44.69 in 2014 and the lowest 23.31 in 1983.

How does Gambia, The rank?

18th highest of 83 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, primary unusual for Gambia, The?

In 2018, Gambia, The's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.54 on 2017 (from 38.68 to 36.14). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2017), the average change was +0.32 and a typical year strayed about 2.96 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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.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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