Saudi Arabia: Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Saudi Arabia's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary fell 1.07 on 2017 (from 20.04 to 18.97).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +0.23 and a typical year strayed about 0.98 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 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 2.4 in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.47 in 1972. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2018, Saudi Arabia had the 20th highest value of the 45 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2018 ranking

• Honduras — 17th of 45: 21.46
• Togo — 18th of 45: 21.33
• Lesotho — 19th of 45: 19.68
• El Salvador — 21st of 45: 17.99
• Burkina Faso — 22nd of 45: 17.32
• Bhutan — 23rd of 45: 15.59

What this measures

Tertiary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in tertiary 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 46 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 21.53 (2018)
• Algeria — 27.29 (2018)
• Bahrain — 21.86 (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 14.77 (2017)
• Jordan — 12.5 (2017)
• Malta — 8.31 (2017)
• Morocco — 28.74 (2018)
• Oman — 16.22 (2016)
• Qatar — 14.03 (2018)
• United Arab Emirates — 18.42 (2017)
• West Bank and Gaza — 27.88 (2018)

More education data for Saudi Arabia

• 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)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 83.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 84.15% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 83.65% (2024)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 48.05% (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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Questions people ask

What is Saudi Arabia's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary?

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

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 55.73% from 12.18 in 1971 (0.95% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 22.91 in 2004 and the lowest 8.33 in 1981.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

20th highest of 45 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary unusual for Saudi Arabia?

In 2018, Saudi Arabia's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary fell 1.07 on 2017 (from 20.04 to 18.97). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +0.23 and a typical year strayed about 0.98 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.TER.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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