Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Pupil-teacher ratio, primary was 21.69 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970–2018
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2018, pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 21.69. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 32.21 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 21.69, in 2018.
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 23rd of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 32.21 | — |
| 1971 | 32.14 | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 31.95 | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 31.91 | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 31.68 | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 31.61 | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 31.6 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 31.53 | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 31.45 | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 31.2 | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 31.07 | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 30.86 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 30.4 | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 30.05 | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 29.8 | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 29.52 | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 28.82 | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 28.58 | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 28.21 | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 27.87 | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 27.72 | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 27.58 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 27.26 | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 26.93 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 26.5 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 26.31 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 26.12 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 25.91 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 26.16 | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 26.54 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 26.01 | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 25.08 | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 24.64 | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 24.29 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 24.36 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 24.04 | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 24.21 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 24.51 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 24.15 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 23.99 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 23.66 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 23.26 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 22.73 | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 22.73 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 22.42 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 22.16 | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 21.99 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 21.76 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 21.69 | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 31.73 | 31.2 | 32.21 | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.52 | 27.87 | 31.07 | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7 | 25.91 | 27.72 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.53 | 23.99 | 26.01 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.49 | 21.69 | 23.66 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.22 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 62.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1513 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0936 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 21.69 in 2018, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest pupil-teacher ratio, primary recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 32.21 in 1970.
- What is the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, primary recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.69 in 2018.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for pupil-teacher ratio, primary?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 23rd out of 43 groups with data for 2018.
- Is pupil-teacher ratio, primary rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Pupil-teacher ratio, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in primary school.