Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Africa
South Africa: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary was 30.33 in 2015. ▲ Rising
Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Africa, 1977–2015
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 30.33 for pupil-teacher ratio, primary in 2015.
The figure is down 7.4% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Africa peaked at 44.54 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 26.67, in 1991.
South Africa ranks 43rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 28.58 | 27.78 | 29.47 | 3 |
| 1990s | 36.14 | 26.67 | 44.54 | 5 |
| 2000s | 34.39 | 31.39 | 38.9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.7 | 29.51 | 32.94 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 104.3% (2023)
- Labor force, total 26.73 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 46.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Africa?
- Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in South Africa was 30.33 in 2015, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest pupil-teacher ratio, primary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.54 in 1997.
- What is the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.67 in 1991.
- How does South Africa rank for pupil-teacher ratio, primary?
- South Africa ranks 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2015.
- Is pupil-teacher ratio, primary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 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.