South Africa: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2015, South Africa's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.44 on 2014 (from 32.77 to 30.33).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2014), the average change was −0.32 and a typical year strayed about 2.16 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below 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 3.99 in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.15 in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2006 to 2015 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 17% 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 2015, South Africa had the 4th highest value of the 10 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 South Africa in the 2015 ranking

• Angola — 1st of 10: 50.03
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 2nd of 10: 33.2
• Kenya — 3rd of 10: 30.65
• Vanuatu — 5th of 10: 26.57
• Botswana — 6th of 10: 23.71
• Equatorial Guinea — 7th of 10: 23.23

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 24 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 South Africa

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 7.52 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.77% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.21% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 104.32% (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) — 19.14% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is South Africa's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

30.33 in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is up 2.93% from 29.47 in 1977 (0.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 44.54 in 1997 and the lowest 26.67 in 1991.

How does South Africa rank?

4th highest of 10 economies with data for 2015.

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

In 2015, South Africa's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.44 on 2014 (from 32.77 to 30.33). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2014), the average change was −0.32 and a typical year strayed about 2.16 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below 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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