Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 16.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
16.7%
Change on year
down 8.9%
World rank
42nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
30.5%
in 2012
All-time low
9.7%
in 1983
Years of data
32
1980–2024
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Ethiopia, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 16.7% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2024.
The figure is down 8.9% on the previous year and down 35.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Ethiopia peaked at 30.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 1983.
Ethiopia ranks 42nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 12.4% | — |
| 1981 | 12.5% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 12.2% | -2.5% |
| 1983 | 9.7% | -20.3% |
| 1984 | 11.8% | +21.8% |
| 1985 | 10.1% | -14.6% |
| 1986 | 10.3% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 13.3% | +28.5% |
| 1996 | 13.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | +14.0% |
| 2000 | 14.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 16.2% | +11.9% |
| 2006 | 24.0% | +48.1% |
| 2007 | 24.7% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 26.4% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 23.6% | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 26.3% | +11.5% |
| 2011 | 29.7% | +12.8% |
| 2012 | 30.5% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 27.0% | -11.5% |
| 2014 | 25.9% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 23.0% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 20.9% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 22.4% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 23.6% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 18.3% | -20.3% |
| 2024 | 16.7% | -8.9% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 16.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.4%, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 16.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.3% | 9.7% | 12.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 13.7% | 13.0% | 14.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 20.6% | 14.5% | 26.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 25.2% | 20.9% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 16.7% | 23.6% | 5 |
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Ethiopia?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Ethiopia was 16.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.5% in 2012.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 1983.
- How does Ethiopia rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Ethiopia ranks 42nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.6%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release