Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 50.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in Ethiopia, 1994–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 50.0% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in 2022. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.2% on the previous year and up 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in Ethiopia peaked at 50.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 1994.
That places Ethiopia 78th out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 18.5% | — |
| 2004 | 22.8% | +23.2% |
| 2007 | 28.9% | +26.8% |
| 2013 | 36.6% | +26.6% |
| 2016 | 34.4% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 44.6% | +29.6% |
| 2021 | 44.1% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 50.0% | +13.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.5% | 18.5% | 18.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.9% | 22.8% | 28.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 38.5% | 34.4% | 44.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 47.0% | 44.1% | 50.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More education data for Ethiopia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 272,545 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 900,151 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.16 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.03 million (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.93 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1206 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in Ethiopia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in Ethiopia was 50.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 1994.
- How does Ethiopia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- Ethiopia ranks 78th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release