Switzerland: Secondary education, general pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Switzerland's secondary education, general pupils rose 0.3% on 2016 (from 381,380 to 382,503).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2016), the average change was −0.2% and a typical year strayed about 2.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 7.5% in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.7% in 1988. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2,388 a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2017, Switzerland had the 40th highest value of the 69 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 Switzerland in the 2017 ranking

• Denmark — 37th of 69: 419,140
• New Zealand — 38th of 69: 416,083
• Honduras — 39th of 69: 402,665
• Ireland — 41st of 69: 373,014
• Bulgaria — 42nd of 69: 344,423
• Norway — 43rd of 69: 321,518

What this measures

Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 39 values

Secondary education, general pupils in nearby economies

• Albania — 248,267 (2018)
• Andorra — 4,025 (2018)
• Armenia — 215,307 (2018)
• Austria — 449,201 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 792,449 (2018)
• Belarus — 566,765 (2018)
• Belgium — 661,906 (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 153,157 (2018)
• Bulgaria — 344,423 (2017)
• Croatia — 207,005 (2017)
• Cyprus

More education data for Switzerland

• 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)
• Primary education, pupils — 556,945 (2024)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.86% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 636,381 (2024)
• Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education) — 26% (2016)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Switzerland's secondary education, general pupils?

382,503 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is down 6.72% from 410,073 in 1977 (0.17% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 427,870 in 1980 and the lowest 337,958 in 1991.

How does Switzerland rank?

40th highest of 69 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, general pupils unusual for Switzerland?

In 2017, Switzerland's secondary education, general pupils rose 0.3% on 2016 (from 381,380 to 382,503). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2016), the average change was −0.2% and a typical year strayed about 2.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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.SEC.ENRL.GC, 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.