Best 5 Ways to Explore Statistical Indicators and Metrics to Measure Quality of Education

Do you want to know about the quality of education by country? Are you willing to know about more precise and new ways? Then identifying indicators of the quality of education is a must.

Quality of education can be defined as the overall effectiveness maintained in an educational system. It aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills, experience, and practical communication, lab, and website that writes papers to succeed in their future endeavors.

A good education system encompasses various aspects such as:

  • Curriculum
  • Teaching methods
  • Resources
  • Facilities
  • Student outcomes and much more.

According to Mercurynews, the global literacy rate for adults (aged 15 and above) was 86% in 2016. However, there are significant variations between countries, with some countries having literacy rates of over 99%, and others having rates of less than 50%.

Education Rankings by Country Based on Quality

numerous systems across the world help to rank countries based on their quality of education systems. Some of the most popular education ranking systems are mentioned below:

1.    QS World University Ranking

The ranking in this system emphasizes ranks of universities and higher education institutions. The quality of education by country is determined based on factors such as:

  • Academic reputation
  • Employer reputation
  • Faculty to student ratio
  • Citations per faculty


Moreover, the top five countries in the 2022 QS World University Rankings are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and China.

2.    World University Rankings by Times Higher Education

In the World University ranking system, it too focuses on higher education institutions and ranks universities. It is usually based on factors like

  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Citations
  • International outlook
  • Industry income and much more.

Moreover, the top five countries in the 2022 World University Rankings are the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia.

3.    Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

This education rating by country focuses on the overall performance of a 15-year-old teenage student with his/her ability to read, science and mathematics.

The top 3 performing countries in the 2018 PISA rankings were:

  • China
  • Singapore
  • Japan

4.    Human Development Index (HDI)

HDI ranking system measure the overall human development factors of a country with its own considerate factors such as:

  • Education
  • Income
  • Life expectancy

The top five countries that stand still at the top of the 2020 HDI rankings are Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany and Hong Kong.

Education Ranking by Country 2023 Based on Top Education Systems in the World

Below we have listed the education ranking by country 2023. Let’s have a quick look at it!

CountryRank 2021Rank 20222023 Population
United States12339,996,563
United Kingdom1267,736,802
Germany3483,294,633
Canada4338,781,291
France5564,756,584
Switzerland668,796,669
Japan711123,294,513
Australia8726,439,111
Sweden9810,612,086
Netherlands10917,618,299
New Zealand11145,228,100
Denmark12105,910,913
Norway13125,474,360
Italy141658,870,762
Finland15155,545,475
Austria16138,958,960
Spain171847,519,628
Belgium18 11,686,140
South Korea192251,784,059
Ireland20 5,056,935
Singapore21196,014,723
China22241,425,671,352
Russia2321144,444,359
Israel24259,174,520
Portugal252010,247,605
Poland262341,026,067
United Arab Emirates27289,516,871
Greece282610,341,277
Hungary30 10,156,239

Statistical Indicators and Metrics to Measure Quality of Education

In this section of this article, we will get familiar with some of the statistical indicators and metrics to measure the quality of education:

1.    Literacy Rate

As perfectly said by Kofi Annan, “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”

Literacy rate can be defined as the percentage of people in a given population who has the ability to read and write.

A high literacy rate is generally associated with:

  • Better economic development
  • High standard of living
  • Good health outcomes

It can be calculated for different gender, age groups and geographical areas. Literacy rate provides better knowledge on subject matter like the disparity in education quality and medium of access.

2.    Enrollment Rate

It is a statistical indicator that enables us to know the percentage of students of a certain age group who enroll in the respective school. This metric shows the accessibility and availability of education in a particular place or country.

Low enrollment rates can be an indicator of different barriers that exist in education. Some of them are

  • Poverty
  • Lack of infrastructure
  • Cultural factors
  • Social factors and much more.

It can be used to inform policy decisions on education funding and resource allocation to ensure that every child has access to education.

3.    Test Scores

Test score is one of the easiest and most relevant ways to evaluate and figure out the performance of students in different faculties.

Moreover, it provides a detailed insight into

  • Teaching method
  • Teacher’s teaching way and/or quality
  • Effectiveness of the curriculum

It can also be used to compare the academic performance of students from different regions and countries. Est scores can be standardized, which means that they are compared to a norm or average score for a particular age group or population.

4.    Education Expenditure

Education expenditure can be one of the measures to evaluate a country with the best education system. It shows the amount that is invested by an individual, government and different organizations in education solely.

This expenditure generally covers the investment in schools, universities and other private and public institutions that deliver and support any form of educational services.

5.    Employment Rate of Graduates

It measures the rate of graduate’s percentage that complete their education and start to find jobs as per their own requirements. The job they gain enables them to estimate the relevance and quality of education they receive.

According to the total sample collected 96.7% of students are graduates the remaining are post-graduates.

Mostly, computing science, medicine, finance, engineering, architecture and psychology are the degrees with the most job opportunities throughout the world.

From 2010 to 2021, the employment rate for the age group 25 to 34 years old increased drastically. So, in aggregate employment rate is increasing day by day.

Wrapping Up:

Knowing about the top education systems in the world will enable you to gain basic education on the quality of education that exists throughout the globe. Not only that, if you are thinking of studying abroad, it will help you to gain better knowledge and help you to make better choices.

We hope this article helped you to gain a piece of basic knowledge of statistical indicators and metrics to measure education quality.

Moreover, if you have any other ideas than the ones listed in this article, feel free to share them with us in the comments section below!

We wish you all the best in your educational journey!