India: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Since 1971 it is down 20.99% from 41.45 in 1971 (0.51% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 29 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, India's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.47 on 2016 (from 35.22 to 32.75).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +0.41 and a typical year strayed about 1.17 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.72 in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.47 in 2017. 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 2017, India had the 5th highest value of the 50 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 India in the 2017 ranking

• Zambia — 2nd of 50: 42.06
• Niger — 3rd of 50: 36.34
• Lesotho — 4th of 50: 32.95
• São Tomé and Principe — 6th of 50: 31.16
• Philippines — 7th of 50: 29.08
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 8th of 50: 28.52

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 18 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 30.05 (2018)
• Bhutan — 34.67 (2018)
• Maldives — 10.16 (2017)
• Nepal — 19.74 (2019)
• Sri Lanka — 21.74 (2018)

More education data for India

• 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) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 126.12 million (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 111.03% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 110.61% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 111.42% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2021)
• Secondary education, pupils — 133.16 million (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 20.99% from 41.45 in 1971 (0.51% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 42.9 in 1979 and the lowest 31.29 in 2014.

How does India rank?

5th highest of 50 economies with data for 2017.

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

In 2017, India's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.47 on 2016 (from 35.22 to 32.75). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +0.41 and a typical year strayed about 1.17 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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