Children out of school, primary in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Children out of school, primary was 4.24 million in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
4.24 million
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
4th
of 197 countries
All-time high
6.99 million
in 2003
All-time low
1.83 million
in 2017
Years of data
28
1987–2024

Children out of school, primary in Ethiopia, 1987–2024

2.0M4.0M6.0M1987200520241987: 4.8M1988: 4.9M1989: 5.2M1994: 6.8M1995: 6.8M1996: 6.8M1998: 6.8M1999: 7.0M2000: 6.9M2001: 6.7M2002: 6.8M2003: 7.0M2004: 6.9M2005: 5.7M2006: 5.2M2007: 4.5M2008: 3.8M2009: 3.9M2010: 4.3M2011: 4.6M2012: 3.8M2014: 3.2M2015: 3.5M2017: 1.8M2021: 4.7M2022: 4.5M2023: 4.4M2024: 4.2M

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for children out of school, primary in Ethiopia is 4.24 million, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in Ethiopia peaked at 6.99 million in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.83 million, in 2017.

Ethiopia ranks 4th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.95 million 4.77 million 5.18 million 3
1990s 6.83 million 6.77 million 6.96 million 5
2000s 5.75 million 3.80 million 6.99 million 10
2010s 3.55 million 1.83 million 4.57 million 6
2020s 4.47 million 4.24 million 4.68 million 4

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 1 Nigeria 9.07 million compare
  2. 2 China 8.25 million compare
  3. 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.23 million compare
  4. 5 Sudan 3.17 million compare
  5. 6 Angola 2.28 million compare
  6. 7 Tanzania, United Republic of 2.01 million compare

See the full ranking of 202 places β†’

More education data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is children out of school, primary in Ethiopia?
Children out of school, primary in Ethiopia was 4.24 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 6.99 million in 2003.
What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.83 million in 2017.
How does Ethiopia rank for children out of school, primary?
Ethiopia ranks 4th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Children out of school, primary in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/children-out-of-school-primary/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Children out of school, primary
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
202 places, 4,752 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.