St. Kitts and Nevis: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Over five years it is up 6.25% from 13.06 in 2011 (1.22% a year on average, compounded). Since 1980 it is down 44.81% from 25.14 in 1980 (1.64% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 8 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2016, St. Kitts and Nevis' pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 1.23 on 2015 (from 15.1 to 13.87).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2015), the average change was −0.23 and a typical year strayed about 2.32 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 7.18 in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.26 in 1989. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2016 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 27% 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 2016, St. Kitts and Nevis had the 8th highest value of the 14 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 St. Kitts and Nevis in the 2016 ranking

• Naoero — 4th of 14: 40.18
• Papua New Guinea — 5th of 14: 35.52
• United Arab Emirates — 6th of 14: 24.52
• Slovenia — 8th of 14: 13.8
• Puerto Rico (US) — 9th of 14: 13.54
• Croatia — 10th of 14: 13.51

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 29 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 12.41 (2018)
• Bahamas, The — 19.45 (2018)
• Barbados — 13.99 (2018)
• Belize — 19.78 (2018)
• Brazil — 20.22 (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 11.62 (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 15.75 (2018)
• Chile — 17.79 (2017)
• Colombia — 23.3 (2018)
• Costa Rica — 12.2 (2018)
• Cuba — 9.16 (2018)

More education data for St. Kitts and Nevis

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 5,110 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 121.12% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 117.03% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 125.28% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.95 (2021)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is St. Kitts and Nevis's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

13.87 in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is down 44.81% from 25.14 in 1980 (1.64% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 29.31 in 1987 and the lowest 13.06 in 2011.

How does St. Kitts and Nevis rank?

8th highest of 14 economies with data for 2016.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, primary unusual for St. Kitts and Nevis?

In 2016, St. Kitts and Nevis' pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 1.23 on 2015 (from 15.1 to 13.87). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2015), the average change was −0.23 and a typical year strayed about 2.32 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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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