Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa

South Africa: Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary was 27.62 in 2017. ▬ Flat

Latest (2017)
27.62
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
19th
of 190 countries
All-time high
32.9
in 2005
All-time low
25.05
in 2009
Years of data
16
1991–2017

Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa, 1991–2017

01020301991200420171991: 261998: 29.51999: 29.22000: 28.12001: 27.42002: 29.72003: 29.82004: 30.82005: 32.92006: 30.22007: 29.22008: 27.72009: 252015: 27.82016: 26.82017: 27.6

Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

In 2017, pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa stood at 27.62.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa peaked at 32.9 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 25.05, in 2009.

South Africa ranks 19th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa, 1991 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1991 25.96
1998 29.52 +13.7%
1999 29.25 -0.9%
2000 28.06 -4.1%
2001 27.43 -2.2%
2002 29.69 +8.2%
2003 29.84 +0.5%
2004 30.75 +3.1%
2005 32.9 +7.0%
2006 30.21 -8.2%
2007 29.19 -3.4%
2008 27.71 -5.1%
2009 25.05 -9.6%
2015 27.78 +10.9%
2016 26.85 -3.4%
2017 27.62 +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 28.24 25.96 29.52 3
2000s 29.08 25.05 32.9 10
2010s 27.42 26.85 27.78 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 16 Nepal 28.26 compare
  2. 17 Rwanda 28.25 compare
  3. 18 Gabon 28.12 compare
  4. 20 El Salvador 27.56 compare
  5. 21 Côte d'Ivoire 27.28 compare
  6. 22 Myanmar 27.25 compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa?
Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa was 27.62 in 2017, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest pupil-teacher ratio, secondary recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 32.9 in 2005.
What is the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, secondary recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 25.05 in 2009.
How does South Africa rank for pupil-teacher ratio, secondary?
South Africa ranks 19th out of 190 countries with data for 2017.
Is pupil-teacher ratio, secondary rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa 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, secondary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/pupil-teacher-ratio-secondary/south-africa/

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://education.statizoid.com/stat/pupil-teacher-ratio-secondary/south-africa/">Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary
Source
Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
233 places, 6,299 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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