Iceland: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Since 1971 it is down 48.17% from 19.57 in 1971 (1.48% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 34 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2015, Iceland's pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 0.15 on 2014 (from 9.99 to 10.14).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2014), the average change was −0.02 and a typical year strayed about 0.52 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 1.07 in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.54 in 1973. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2015, Iceland had the 11th highest value of the 10 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 Iceland in the 2015 ranking

• Equatorial Guinea — 7th of 10: 23.23
• Tonga — 8th of 10: 21.63
• Bermuda — 9th of 10: 10.42

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 11 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Albania — 17.57 (2018)
• Andorra — 10.5 (2018)
• Armenia — 15.42 (2018)
• Austria — 10.02 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 15.43 (2018)
• Belarus — 19.23 (2018)
• Belgium — 11.28 (2017)
• Bulgaria — 15.21 (2017)
• Croatia — 13.51 (2016)
• Cyprus — 12.04 (2017)
• Estonia — 11.31 (2017)
• Finland

More education data for Iceland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 32,314 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.22% (2023)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 76.52% (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 37,056 (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 108.91% (2023)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.52 (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

10.14 in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 48.17% from 19.57 in 1971 (1.48% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 19.57 in 1971 and the lowest 9.7 in 2011.

How does Iceland rank?

11th highest of 10 economies with data for 2015.

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

In 2015, Iceland's pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 0.15 on 2014 (from 9.99 to 10.14). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2014), the average change was −0.02 and a typical year strayed about 0.52 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.

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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