Senegal: Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary

Key figures

Over five years it is up 10.66% from 25.25 in 2013 (2.05% a year on average, compounded). Since 1978 it is up 166.02% from 10.5 in 1978 (2.48% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 25 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Senegal's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary rose 7.77 on 2017 (from 20.17 to 27.94).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2017), the average change was −0.51 and a typical year strayed about 5.09 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations above 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 7.77 in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.21 in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 8 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, Senegal had the 5th 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 Senegal in the 2018 ranking

• Myanmar — 2nd of 45: 35.52
• Sri Lanka — 3rd of 45: 29.76
• Morocco — 4th of 45: 28.74
• West Bank and Gaza — 6th of 45: 27.88
• Algeria — 7th of 45: 27.29
• Indonesia — 8th of 45: 27.26

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 16 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in nearby economies

• Angola — 25.52 (2015)
• Benin — 29.49 (2017)
• Botswana — 18.25 (2017)
• Burkina Faso — 17.32 (2018)
• Burundi — 19.8 (2017)
• Cabo Verde — 7.98 (2018)
• Chad — 26.39 (2015)
• Congo, Rep. — 12.2 (2017)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 11.67 (2017)
• Eritrea — 14.09 (2016)
• Ghana — 26.52 (2018)
• Lesotho

More education data for Senegal

• 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) — 7 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.16 (2021)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.35 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 85.33% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 96.07% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 75.52% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Senegal's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary?

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

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 166.02% from 10.5 in 1978 (2.48% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 33.39 in 2016 and the lowest 10.5 in 1978.

How does Senegal rank?

5th highest of 45 economies with data for 2018.

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

In 2018, Senegal's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary rose 7.77 on 2017 (from 20.17 to 27.94). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2017), the average change was −0.51 and a typical year strayed about 5.09 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations above 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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