12 students per teacher in EU member states: Eurostat

EU member states had an average of 12 students per teacher at the upper secondary level as of 2016, said Eurostat on Friday, marking World Teachers' Day.

The estimated number of teachers in EU upper secondary school education was 1.8 million during the same period, it said.

In 2016, among member states, the highest pupil-teacher ratio was seen in the Netherlands (17.9), followed by Finland (17.2) and Britain (16.5).

Meanwhile, the lowest ratio was seen in Lithuania (7.7), followed by Malta (8.3) and Luxembourg (9.0).

Turkey -- a candidate for EU membership -- bettered the EU average, according to 2016 data, with a ratio of pupils and students to teachers and academic staff of 12.6.

In the EU, students are usually enrolled into upper secondary school programs at age 14-16.

"These programs are typically designed to complete secondary education in preparation for tertiary education or provide skills relevant to employment, or both," said a Eurostat report.

According to EU benchmarks for 2020 set for education, fewer than 15 percent of 15-year-olds should be under-skilled in reading, mathematics and science.