Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education was 55.15 headcount basis in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
55.15 headcount basis
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
2nd
of 29 groups
All-time high
62.02 headcount basis
in 2007
All-time low
49.82 headcount basis
in 2000
Years of data
19
2000–2018

Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2000–2018

02040602000200920182000: 49.8 headcount basis2001: 51.5 headcount basis2002: 52.2 headcount basis2003: 53.7 headcount basis2004: 58.5 headcount basis2005: 59.1 headcount basis2006: 59 headcount basis2007: 62 headcount basis2008: 60.6 headcount basis2009: 59 headcount basis2010: 58.5 headcount basis2011: 60.5 headcount basis2012: 60 headcount basis2013: 59.5 headcount basis2014: 59.2 headcount basis2015: 58 headcount basis2016: 57.6 headcount basis2017: 55.3 headcount basis2018: 55.1 headcount basis

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in headcount basis.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 55.15 headcount basis for pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in 2018.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 62.02 headcount basis in 2007 and was at its lowest, 49.82 headcount basis, in 2000.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 2nd out of 29 groups with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education (headcount basis) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2000 to 2018.
Year headcount basis Change
2000 49.82 headcount basis
2001 51.45 headcount basis +3.3%
2002 52.19 headcount basis +1.4%
2003 53.66 headcount basis +2.8%
2004 58.47 headcount basis +9.0%
2005 59.06 headcount basis +1.0%
2006 58.97 headcount basis -0.1%
2007 62.02 headcount basis +5.2%
2008 60.6 headcount basis -2.3%
2009 59.01 headcount basis -2.6%
2010 58.48 headcount basis -0.9%
2011 60.46 headcount basis +3.4%
2012 60.03 headcount basis -0.7%
2013 59.54 headcount basis -0.8%
2014 59.25 headcount basis -0.5%
2015 57.96 headcount basis -2.2%
2016 57.56 headcount basis -0.7%
2017 55.29 headcount basis -4.0%
2018 55.15 headcount basis -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 56.53 headcount basis 49.82 headcount basis 62.02 headcount basis 10
2010s 58.19 headcount basis 55.15 headcount basis 60.46 headcount basis 9

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

  1. 1 Madagascar 240.39 headcount basis compare
  2. 2 Sao Tome and Principe 113.68 headcount basis compare
  3. 3 Belize 108.36 headcount basis compare
  4. 4 Chad 96.07 headcount basis compare
  5. 5 Malawi 76.14 headcount basis compare

See the full ranking of 138 places →

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 55.15 headcount basis in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 62.02 headcount basis in 2007.
What is the lowest pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 49.82 headcount basis in 2000.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 2nd out of 29 groups with data for 2018.
Is pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education (headcount basis). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/pupil-trained-teacher-ratio-in-primary-education-headcount-basis/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/pupil-trained-teacher-ratio-in-primary-education-headcount-basis/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/">Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education (headcount basis)
Unit
headcount basis
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
138 places, 1,748 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Average number of pupils per trained teacher at a given level of education, based on headcounts of both pupils and teachers. Divide the total number of pupils enrolled at the specified level of education by the number of trained teachers at the same level. A trained teacher is defined as a teacher who has fulfilled at least the minimum organized teacher-training requirements (pre-service or in-service) to teach a specific level of education according to the relevant national policy or law. These requirements usually include pedagogical knowledge (broad principles and strategies of classroom management and organization that transcend the subject matter being taught - typically approaches, methods and techniques of teaching), and professional knowledge (knowledge of statutory instruments and other legal frameworks that govern the teaching profession). Some programmes may also cover content knowledge (knowledge of the curriculum and the subject matter to be taught and the use of relevant materials). In computing and interpreting this indicator, one should take into account the existence of part-time teaching, school-shifts, multi-grade classes and other practices that may affect the precision and meaningfulness of pupil-teacher ratios. When feasible, the number of part-time teachers is converted to ‘full-time equivalent’ teachers; a double-shift teacher is counted twice, etc. Teachers are defined as persons whose professional activity involves the transmitting of knowledge, attitudes and skills that are stipulated in a formal curriculum programme to students enrolled in a formal educational institution.