Switzerland: Secondary education, vocational pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Switzerland's secondary education, vocational pupils fell 0.9% on 2016 (from 228,403 to 226,342).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2016), the average change was +0.1% and a typical year strayed about 3.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 9.7% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.7% in 1993. 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 upward, about 3,730 a year. A straight line explains 81% 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 25th highest value of the 61 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

• Finland — 22nd of 61: 261,660
• Honduras — 23rd of 61: 252,425
• Austria — 24th of 61: 238,161
• Portugal — 26th of 61: 192,356
• Sweden — 27th of 61: 186,467
• Israel — 28th of 61: 161,579

What this measures

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

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

All 38 values

Secondary education, vocational pupils in nearby economies

• Albania — 20,605 (2018)
• Andorra — 488 (2018)
• Armenia — 19,676 (2018)
• Austria — 238,161 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 152,777 (2018)
• Belarus — 82,592 (2018)
• Belgium — 524,924 (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 94,557 (2018)
• Bulgaria — 141,163 (2017)
• Croatia — 132,833 (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, vocational pupils?

226,342 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 8.03% from 209,519 in 1978 (0.2% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 253,728 in 1985 and the lowest 171,915 in 1998.

How does Switzerland rank?

25th highest of 61 economies with data for 2017.

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

In 2017, Switzerland's secondary education, vocational pupils fell 0.9% on 2016 (from 228,403 to 226,342). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2016), the average change was +0.1% and a typical year strayed about 3.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.SEC.ENRL.VO, 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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