Philippines: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Since 1971 it is up 1.76% from 28.58 in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 5 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Philippines' pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 0.1 on 2016 (from 28.99 to 29.08).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2016), the average change was −0.1 and a typical year strayed about 0.72 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 1.86 in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.31 in 2009. 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, Philippines had the 7th 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 Philippines in the 2017 ranking

• Lesotho — 4th of 50: 32.95
• India — 5th of 50: 32.75
• São Tomé and Principe — 6th of 50: 31.16
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 8th of 50: 28.52
• Eswatini — 9th of 50: 26.6
• Mexico — 10th of 50: 26.55

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 42 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 9.9 (2018)
• Cambodia — 41.7 (2018)
• China — 16.43 (2018)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 13.35 (2018)
• Indonesia — 17.03 (2018)
• Kiribati — 25.49 (2017)
• Korea, Rep. — 16.29 (2017)
• Lao PDR — 22.34 (2018)
• Macao SAR, China — 13.5 (2018)
• Malaysia — 11.66 (2017)
• Mongolia — 30.38 (2018)

More education data for Philippines

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 527,504 (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 13.06 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 94.03% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 11.87 million (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 85.29% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 47.41% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 1.76% from 28.58 in 1971. The highest value was 35.39 in 2002 and the lowest 28 in 1973.

How does Philippines rank?

7th highest of 50 economies with data for 2017.

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

In 2017, Philippines' pupil-teacher ratio, primary rose 0.1 on 2016 (from 28.99 to 29.08). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2016), the average change was −0.1 and a typical year strayed about 0.72 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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