Latvia: Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary

Key figures

Over five years it is up 4.7% from 7.9 in 2012 (0.92% a year on average, compounded). Since 1981 it is down 29.4% from 11.71 in 1981 (0.96% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 7 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Latvia's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary rose 0.17 on 2016 (from 8.11 to 8.27).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2016), the average change was −0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.57 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 1.88 in 1998 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.23 in 2009. 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 0.14 a year. A straight line explains 51% 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

In 2017, Latvia had the 42nd 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 Latvia in the 2017 ranking

• Greece — 39th of 44: 8.56
• Monaco — 40th of 44: 8.54
• Cyprus — 41st of 44: 8.31
• Lithuania — 43rd of 44: 7.81
• Malta — 44th of 44: 7.11

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 30 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)
• Germany

More education data for Latvia

• 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 — 123,956 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 9,966 (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 123,994 (2024)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 11.54 (2017)
• Secondary education, teachers — 12,484 (2024)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, lower secondary — 7.48 (2017)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Latvia's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary?

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

How has it changed since 1981?

It is down 29.4% from 11.71 in 1981 (0.96% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 11.71 in 1981 and the lowest 7.9 in 2012.

How does Latvia rank?

42nd highest of 44 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, secondary unusual for Latvia?

In 2017, Latvia's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary rose 0.17 on 2016 (from 8.11 to 8.27). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2016), the average change was −0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.57 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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.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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