Mauritius: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Mauritius' pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 1.74 on 2017 (from 17.94 to 16.2).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2017), the average change was −0.14 and a typical year strayed about 0.82 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.46 in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.13 in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.57 a year. A straight line explains 94% 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 15.64 for 2021. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2016 to 2018 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.13, against 1.51 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 2018, Mauritius had the 58th 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 Mauritius in the 2018 ranking

• Thailand — 55th of 83: 16.64
• China — 56th of 83: 16.43
• Grenada — 57th of 83: 16.35
• Cayman Islands — 59th of 83: 15.75
• Tuvalu — 60th of 83: 15.58
• Azerbaijan — 61st of 83: 15.43

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 49 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 Mauritius

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 84,530 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 107.35% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 107.78% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 106.94% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 6,144 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 45.78% (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 Mauritius's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 49.05% from 31.79 in 1970 (1.39% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 31.79 in 1970 and the lowest 16.2 in 2018.

How does Mauritius rank?

58th highest of 83 economies with data for 2018.

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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