Primary Student-Teacher Ratio by Country 2026: Data & Rankings
Country rankings use the UNESCO UIS primary pupil-teacher ratio distributed through the World Bank World Development Indicators series. Values are read from machine-readable numeric fields, preserving decimal places. The 2026 label identifies the dataset edition; each row shows its actual source year.
Ratio Snapshot
Statistics use one latest available observation for each ISO-coded country or territory.
Highest Reported Primary Ratios
The chart summarizes the 20 highest latest values. The searchable table retains the full country coverage.
Top 20 latest reported pupil-teacher ratios
Country source years remain visible beside each label.
A higher value means more enrolled primary pupils per reported primary teacher. It is not a direct class-size measure.
Chart analysis
- Central African Republic has the highest latest value at 83.41 pupils per teacher in 2016.
- The next four highest values are reported for Rwanda, Malawi, Chad, and Mozambique.
- The 20th value is 41.70, more than twice the full-table median of 18.93.
- Source years differ across the chart and must remain attached to each value.
Full Country Ranking Table
Rank 1 is the highest latest reported primary pupil-teacher ratio. Decimals come directly from the CSV numeric field.
| Rank | Country / economy | Ratio | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central African Republic | 83.41 | 2016 |
| 2 | Rwanda | 59.51 | 2018 |
| 3 | Malawi | 58.68 | 2018 |
| 4 | Chad | 56.89 | 2016 |
| 5 | Mozambique | 55.27 | 2018 |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 55.07 | 2011 |
| 7 | Guinea-Bissau | 51.93 | 2010 |
| 8 | Tanzania | 50.63 | 2018 |
| 9 | Angola | 50.03 | 2015 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 48.79 | 2018 |
| 11 | Guinea | 47.15 | 2016 |
| 12 | South Sudan | 46.75 | 2015 |
| 13 | Cameroon | 44.83 | 2018 |
| 14 | Congo, Rep. | 44.44 | 2012 |
| 15 | Pakistan | 44.08 | 2018 |
| 16 | Uganda | 42.66 | 2017 |
| 17 | Burundi | 42.52 | 2018 |
| 18 | Zambia | 42.06 | 2017 |
| 19 | Cote d’Ivoire | 41.82 | 2018 |
| 20 | Cambodia | 41.70 | 2018 |
| 21 | Nauru | 40.18 | 2016 |
| 22 | Togo | 40.15 | 2018 |
| 23 | Madagascar | 39.81 | 2018 |
| 24 | Burkina Faso | 39.72 | 2018 |
| 25 | Benin | 39.20 | 2018 |
| 26 | Eritrea | 38.74 | 2018 |
| 27 | Mali | 37.83 | 2018 |
| 28 | Nigeria | 37.55 | 2010 |
| 29 | Zimbabwe | 36.41 | 2013 |
| 30 | Niger | 36.34 | 2017 |
| 31 | Senegal | 36.32 | 2018 |
| 32 | Gambia, The | 36.14 | 2018 |
| 33 | Papua New Guinea | 35.52 | 2016 |
| 34 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 35.52 | 2007 |
| 35 | Bhutan | 34.67 | 2018 |
| 36 | Mauritania | 34.28 | 2018 |
| 37 | Haiti | 33.41 | 1998 |
| 38 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 33.20 | 2015 |
| 39 | Lesotho | 32.95 | 2017 |
| 40 | India | 32.75 | 2017 |
| 41 | Sao Tome and Principe | 31.16 | 2017 |
| 42 | Kenya | 30.65 | 2015 |
| 43 | Mongolia | 30.38 | 2018 |
| 44 | South Africa | 30.33 | 2015 |
| 45 | Samoa | 30.24 | 2010 |
| 46 | Nicaragua | 30.22 | 2010 |
| 47 | Bangladesh | 30.05 | 2018 |
| 48 | Djibouti | 29.37 | 2018 |
| 49 | Philippines | 29.08 | 2017 |
| 50 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 28.52 | 2017 |
| 51 | Comoros | 28.06 | 2018 |
| 52 | Fiji | 28.00 | 2012 |
| 53 | Sierra Leone | 27.52 | 2018 |
| 54 | Ghana | 26.99 | 2019 |
| 55 | Timor-Leste | 26.95 | 2018 |
| 56 | Yemen, Rep. | 26.93 | 2016 |
| 57 | El Salvador | 26.89 | 2018 |
| 58 | Morocco | 26.80 | 2018 |
| 59 | Eswatini | 26.60 | 2017 |
| 60 | Vanuatu | 26.57 | 2015 |
| 61 | Mexico | 26.55 | 2017 |
| 62 | Venezuela, RB | 25.68 | 1987 |
| 63 | Honduras | 25.60 | 2017 |
| 64 | Kiribati | 25.49 | 2017 |
| 65 | Solomon Islands | 25.41 | 2018 |
| 66 | Syrian Arab Republic | 25.33 | 2002 |
| 67 | Namibia | 25.09 | 2018 |
| 68 | Kyrgyz Republic | 24.99 | 2018 |
| 69 | Jamaica | 24.79 | 2018 |
| 70 | Gabon | 24.53 | 2011 |
| 71 | United Arab Emirates | 24.52 | 2016 |
| 72 | West Bank and Gaza | 24.45 | 2018 |
| 73 | Myanmar | 24.36 | 2018 |
| 74 | Algeria | 24.32 | 2018 |
| 75 | Ecuador | 24.26 | 2018 |
| 76 | Paraguay | 24.16 | 2012 |
| 77 | Botswana | 23.71 | 2015 |
| 78 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 23.68 | 2018 |
| 79 | Colombia | 23.30 | 2018 |
| 80 | Equatorial Guinea | 23.23 | 2015 |
| 81 | Guyana | 23.16 | 2012 |
| 82 | Lao PDR | 22.34 | 2018 |
| 83 | Liberia | 22.32 | 2017 |
| 84 | Tajikistan | 22.30 | 2017 |
| 85 | Panama | 21.96 | 2017 |
| 86 | Sri Lanka | 21.74 | 2018 |
| 87 | Tonga | 21.63 | 2015 |
| 88 | Uzbekistan | 21.51 | 2018 |
| 89 | Russian Federation | 21.26 | 2017 |
| 90 | Cabo Verde | 21.07 | 2018 |
| 91 | New Caledonia | 20.37 | 1991 |
| 92 | Korea, Dem. People’s Rep. | 20.30 | 2018 |
| 93 | Viet Nam | 20.28 | 2018 |
| 94 | Guatemala | 20.26 | 2018 |
| 95 | Brazil | 20.22 | 2017 |
| 96 | Guam | 20.02 | 1989 |
| 97 | Belize | 19.78 | 2018 |
| 98 | Nepal | 19.74 | 2019 |
| 99 | Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 19.71 | 2015 |
| 100 | Bahamas, The | 19.45 | 2018 |
| 101 | Romania | 19.33 | 2017 |
| 102 | Belarus | 19.23 | 2018 |
| 103 | Czechia | 18.93 | 2013 |
| 104 | Dominican Republic | 18.92 | 2018 |
| 105 | Jordan | 18.54 | 2018 |
| 106 | France | 18.18 | 2013 |
| 107 | Moldova | 17.92 | 2018 |
| 108 | Australia | 17.88 | 1999 |
| 109 | Bolivia | 17.80 | 2018 |
| 110 | Chile | 17.79 | 2017 |
| 111 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 17.69 | 2018 |
| 112 | Trinidad and Tobago | 17.58 | 2009 |
| 113 | Albania | 17.57 | 2018 |
| 114 | Canada | 17.42 | 2000 |
| 115 | Peru | 17.39 | 2018 |
| 116 | Argentina | 17.23 | 2008 |
| 117 | Kazakhstan | 17.21 | 2019 |
| 118 | Indonesia | 17.03 | 2018 |
| 119 | Turkiye | 16.98 | 2017 |
| 120 | Iraq | 16.96 | 2007 |
| 121 | Marshall Islands | 16.94 | 2002 |
| 122 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 16.93 | 2018 |
| 123 | Libya | 16.90 | 1983 |
| 124 | Tunisia | 16.87 | 2018 |
| 125 | Thailand | 16.64 | 2018 |
| 126 | China | 16.43 | 2018 |
| 127 | Grenada | 16.35 | 2018 |
| 128 | Korea, Rep. | 16.29 | 2017 |
| 129 | Mauritius | 16.20 | 2018 |
| 130 | Ireland | 16.06 | 2012 |
| 131 | Cayman Islands | 15.75 | 2018 |
| 132 | Palau | 15.66 | 2000 |
| 133 | Japan | 15.66 | 2017 |
| 134 | Tuvalu | 15.58 | 2018 |
| 135 | Slovak Republic | 15.54 | 2017 |
| 136 | Azerbaijan | 15.43 | 2018 |
| 137 | Armenia | 15.42 | 2018 |
| 138 | Bulgaria | 15.21 | 2017 |
| 139 | United Kingdom | 15.13 | 2017 |
| 140 | American Samoa | 15.05 | 1992 |
| 141 | New Zealand | 14.92 | 2017 |
| 142 | North Macedonia | 14.91 | 2017 |
| 143 | Aruba | 14.79 | 2012 |
| 144 | St. Lucia | 14.74 | 2018 |
| 145 | Singapore | 14.69 | 2017 |
| 146 | Seychelles | 14.49 | 2018 |
| 147 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 14.39 | 2018 |
| 148 | French Polynesia | 14.33 | 1996 |
| 149 | Serbia | 14.29 | 2018 |
| 150 | United States | 14.20 | 2017 |
| 151 | Virgin Islands (U.S.) | 14.19 | 1993 |
| 152 | Gibraltar | 14.17 | 2017 |
| 153 | Barbados | 13.99 | 2018 |
| 154 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 13.87 | 2016 |
| 155 | Saudi Arabia | 13.81 | 2018 |
| 156 | Slovenia | 13.80 | 2016 |
| 157 | Finland | 13.67 | 2017 |
| 158 | Puerto Rico (US) | 13.54 | 2016 |
| 159 | Lithuania | 13.52 | 2017 |
| 160 | Croatia | 13.51 | 2016 |
| 161 | Macao SAR, China | 13.50 | 2018 |
| 162 | Suriname | 13.39 | 2018 |
| 163 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 13.35 | 2018 |
| 164 | Spain | 13.13 | 2017 |
| 165 | Dominica | 13.08 | 2016 |
| 166 | Ukraine | 12.98 | 2018 |
| 167 | Malta | 12.94 | 2017 |
| 168 | Lebanon | 12.48 | 2017 |
| 169 | Antigua and Barbuda | 12.41 | 2018 |
| 170 | Portugal | 12.35 | 2017 |
| 171 | Germany | 12.30 | 2017 |
| 172 | Sweden | 12.23 | 2017 |
| 173 | Costa Rica | 12.20 | 2018 |
| 174 | Qatar | 12.17 | 2018 |
| 175 | Israel | 12.07 | 2016 |
| 176 | Cyprus | 12.04 | 2017 |
| 177 | Bahrain | 11.92 | 2018 |
| 178 | Netherlands | 11.81 | 2017 |
| 179 | Monaco | 11.70 | 2019 |
| 180 | Malaysia | 11.66 | 2017 |
| 181 | British Virgin Islands | 11.62 | 2017 |
| 182 | Latvia | 11.54 | 2017 |
| 183 | Italy | 11.48 | 2017 |
| 184 | Estonia | 11.31 | 2017 |
| 185 | Belgium | 11.28 | 2017 |
| 186 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 11.27 | 2012 |
| 187 | Uruguay | 11.02 | 2017 |
| 188 | Hungary | 10.77 | 2016 |
| 189 | Denmark | 10.74 | 2014 |
| 190 | Andorra | 10.50 | 2018 |
| 191 | Bermuda | 10.42 | 2015 |
| 192 | Poland | 10.18 | 2017 |
| 193 | Maldives | 10.16 | 2017 |
| 194 | Iceland | 10.14 | 2015 |
| 195 | Austria | 10.02 | 2017 |
| 196 | Switzerland | 9.93 | 2017 |
| 197 | Brunei Darussalam | 9.90 | 2018 |
| 198 | Oman | 9.67 | 2018 |
| 199 | Greece | 9.38 | 2017 |
| 200 | Cuba | 9.16 | 2018 |
| 201 | Georgia | 8.98 | 2018 |
| 202 | Kuwait | 8.88 | 2018 |
| 203 | Norway | 8.59 | 2017 |
| 204 | Luxembourg | 8.30 | 2016 |
| 205 | Liechtenstein | 7.80 | 2017 |
| 206 | San Marino | 6.93 | 2018 |
Table analysis
- The table contains 206 latest country and territory observations.
- The reported range is 6.93 to 83.41 pupils per teacher.
- The median is 18.93; the mean is 22.79.
- 22 records are at 40 pupils per teacher or higher.
- 66 records are below 15 pupils per teacher.
- Source years range from 1983 to 2019.
- Ranking position does not measure teacher quality, classroom practice, or learning outcomes.
Long-Run Ratio Trend by Income Group
World Bank weighted aggregates are shown at selected anchor years from 2000 to 2018.
World and income-group pupil-teacher ratios
Average primary pupils per teacher in the WDI aggregate series.
The aggregate series uses World Bank weighting and should not be compared directly with the unweighted country median.
| Aggregate | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | Change 2000–2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 26.31 | 25.25 | 24.31 | 23.11 | 23.45 | -2.86 |
| Low income | 41.31 | 45.41 | 43.15 | 40.13 | 39.83 | -1.48 |
| Lower middle income | 34.29 | 33.97 | 31.97 | 28.02 | 28.87 | -5.41 |
| Upper middle income | 23.55 | 20.17 | 18.78 | 18.33 | 18.39 | -5.16 |
| High income | 15.92 | 14.92 | 14.02 | 14.03 | 14.04 | -1.89 |
Trend analysis
- The world aggregate declines from 26.31 in 2000 to 23.45 in 2018.
- The low-income aggregate remains the highest listed group at 39.83 in 2018.
- The high-income aggregate changes from 15.92 to 14.04.
- Aggregate trends describe staffing ratios and do not establish causes or educational effects.
Regional Ratio Summary
The regional values are official WDI weighted aggregates for 2018, not averages calculated from the ranking table.
Primary pupil-teacher ratio by world region
Weighted regional aggregates, 2018.
Regional figures use the source aggregation method and are not country-count averages.
| Region | Code | Ratio | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SSF | 37.36 | 2018 |
| South Asia | SAS | 33.25 | 2018 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | MEA | 21.32 | 2018 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | LCN | 21.30 | 2018 |
| East Asia & Pacific | EAS | 17.54 | 2018 |
| Europe & Central Asia | ECS | 14.87 | 2018 |
| North America | NAC | 14.43 | 2018 |
Regional analysis
- Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest listed regional aggregate at 37.36.
- North America has the lowest listed aggregate at 14.43.
- The difference between the highest and lowest listed regional aggregates is 22.94 pupils per teacher.
Ratio Distribution and Source-Year Coverage
Distribution counts use each country or territory’s latest available observation.
| Source-year group | Rows | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | 91 | 44.2% |
| 2015–2017 | 81 | 39.3% |
| 2010–2014 | 17 | 8.3% |
| 2000–2009 | 8 | 3.9% |
| Before 2000 | 9 | 4.4% |
Source-year analysis
- 91 records use 2018 or 2019 values.
- 81 records use values from 2015 through 2017.
- 9 records rely on years before 2000.
- Older observations remain visible rather than being replaced with estimates.
Data Notes
The metric describes system-level staffing relative to enrollment.
Ratio direction
A higher ratio means more enrolled primary pupils for each reported primary teacher.
Class size is different
Teachers in specialist, support, leadership, part-time, and multi-grade roles affect the system ratio without matching one classroom.
Source years differ
Country values span multiple reporting years. The year column is part of every comparison.
Decimal integrity
Numeric values are taken from CSV fields. Rendered HTML text and search-result strings are not used for number extraction.
Outlier screening
Ratios above 100 and abrupt historical changes require raw-source review before publication.
No quality ranking
The ratio does not measure teacher qualifications, lesson quality, school resources, or student achievement.
Source and Methodology
Regional and income-group values are source aggregates using the World Bank aggregation method. Country median, mean, ratio-band counts, and source-year counts are page-level calculations from the 206 latest ISO-coded records. The 2026 title refers to the data edition and publication context, not a single 2026 school year.
The ranking applies only to the reported primary pupil-teacher ratio. It should not be read as a ranking of education quality, average class size, teacher workload, or learning outcomes. Country definitions and reporting years differ, and older observations remain in the table when no newer value is available.