Sub-Saharan Africa: Pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Sub-Saharan Africa's pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary fell 2.65 on 2017 (from 33.04 to 30.4).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2017), the average change was +0.16 and a typical year strayed about 0.89 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.7 in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.65 in 2018. 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 29% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Preprimary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in preprimary 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, preprimary in nearby economies

• Bahrain — 14.4 (2018)
• Djibouti — 14.4 (2018)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 26.04 (2018)
• Jordan — 17.56 (2018)
• Kuwait — 8.33 (2018)
• Lebanon — 15.62 (2017)
• Malta — 11.79 (2017)
• Oman — 20.77 (2018)
• Qatar — 14.83 (2018)
• Saudi Arabia — 15.04 (2018)
• Tunisia — 15.24 (2016)

More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 196.8 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 97.1% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 95.97% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 98.21% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 5.14 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 49.4% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 81.43 million (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sub-Saharan Africa's pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary?

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

How has it changed since 1995?

It is up 3% from 29.51 in 1995 (0.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 33.04 in 2017 and the lowest 28.78 in 1998.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary unusual for Sub-Saharan Africa?

In 2018, Sub-Saharan Africa's pupil-teacher ratio, preprimary fell 2.65 on 2017 (from 33.04 to 30.4). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2017), the average change was +0.16 and a typical year strayed about 0.89 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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).

Source

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