Tonga: Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary

Key figures

Over five years it is down 2.23% from 14.88 in 2010 (0.45% a year on average, compounded). Since 1970 it is down 38.71% from 23.74 in 1970 (1.08% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 27 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2015, Tonga's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary rose 1.14 on 2014 (from 13.41 to 14.55).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2014), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 1.65 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 4.88 in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.81 in 1985. 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 2015 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.16 a year. A straight line explains 46% of the movement over 8 observed years.

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.

Closest to Tonga in the 2015 ranking

• Vanuatu — 1st of 7: 20.57
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3rd of 7: 14.24
• Suriname — 4th of 7: 11.98
• Dominica — 5th of 7: 10.69

What this measures

Secondary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in secondary 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 19 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 8.27 (2018)
• China — 13.26 (2018)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 11.22 (2018)
• Indonesia — 15.21 (2018)
• Korea, Rep. — 13.27 (2017)
• Lao PDR — 18.15 (2018)
• Macao SAR, China — 9.76 (2018)
• Malaysia — 11.4 (2018)
• Myanmar — 27.25 (2018)
• Naoero — 24.8 (2016)
• New Zealand — 13.63 (2017)

More education data for Tonga

• 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 — 15,644 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 108.79% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 818 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 110.66% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 107.14% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.95 (2020)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Tonga's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary?

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 38.71% from 23.74 in 1970 (1.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 23.74 in 1970 and the lowest 9.74 in 1998.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, secondary unusual for Tonga?

In 2015, Tonga's pupil-teacher ratio, secondary rose 1.14 on 2014 (from 13.41 to 14.55). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2014), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 1.65 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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.SEC.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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