United Kingdom: Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, United Kingdom's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary fell 0.23 on 2016 (from 15.79 to 15.56).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2016), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 1.3 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 4.95 in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.55 in 2004. 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 0.28 a year. A straight line explains 71% of the movement over 10 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, United Kingdom had the 19th highest value of the 45 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 United Kingdom in the 2017 ranking

• Tajikistan — 15th of 45: 16.66
• Namibia — 16th of 45: 16.64
• New Zealand — 17th of 45: 15.96
• North Macedonia — 19th of 45: 14.95
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 20th of 45: 14.77
• Korea, Rep. — 21st of 45: 14.28

What this measures

Tertiary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in tertiary 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 34 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary in nearby economies

• Albania — 14.07 (2018)
• Andorra — 4.43 (2018)
• Armenia — 6.92 (2018)
• Austria — 7.18 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 9.92 (2018)
• Belarus — 13.86 (2018)
• Belgium — 16.95 (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 9.37 (2018)
• Bulgaria — 11.25 (2017)
• Croatia — 9.76 (2016)
• Cyprus — 13.91 (2017)
• Estonia

More education data for United Kingdom

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.4 million (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.86 million (2023)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 4.17 million (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.21% (2017)
• Secondary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is United Kingdom's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary?

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

How has it changed since 1983?

It is up 26.02% from 12.35 in 1983 (0.68% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 22.79 in 2002 and the lowest 12.18 in 1988.

How does United Kingdom rank?

19th highest of 45 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary unusual for United Kingdom?

In 2017, United Kingdom's pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary fell 0.23 on 2016 (from 15.79 to 15.56). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2016), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 1.3 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.TER.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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