Germany: Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Germany's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary fell 0.04 on 2016 (from 12.01 to 11.97).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2016), the average change was −0.13 and a typical year strayed about 0.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 0.43 in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.01 in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.16 a year. A straight line explains 97% 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 11.36 for 2020. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2015 to 2017 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.08, against 0.17 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 2017, Germany had the 25th highest value of the 44 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 Germany in the 2017 ranking

• Korea, Rep. — 22nd of 44: 13.27
• Sweden — 23rd of 44: 13.07
• Romania — 24th of 44: 12.08
• Spain — 26th of 44: 11.57
• Singapore — 27th of 44: 11.48
• Slovak Republic — 28th of 44: 11.07

What this measures

Secondary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in secondary 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 25 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in nearby economies

• Albania — 11.2 (2018)
• Andorra — 8.02 (2018)
• Austria — 9.33 (2017)
• Belarus — 8.56 (2018)
• Belgium — 8.99 (2017)
• Bulgaria — 12.64 (2016)
• Croatia — 6.73 (2016)
• Cyprus — 8.31 (2017)
• Estonia — 9.18 (2017)
• Finland — 13.58 (2017)
• Georgia — 7.58 (2018)
• Gibraltar

More education data for Germany

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 9 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.31 million (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.97 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 283,851 (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 618,670 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 5.13% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 87.33% (2024)

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 Germany's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary?

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

How has it changed since 1993?

It is down 19.64% from 14.9 in 1993 (0.91% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 15.45 in 1997 and the lowest 11.97 in 2017.

How does Germany rank?

25th highest of 44 economies with data for 2017.

Source

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