Literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Literacy rate, youth total was 84.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
84.7%
Change on year
up 6.3%
World rank
77th
of 95 countries
All-time high
84.7%
in 2022
All-time low
33.6%
in 1994
Years of data
11
1994–2022

Literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia, 1994–2022

0204060801994200820221994: 33.6 % of people ages 15-242000: 38.6 % of people ages 15-242004: 49.9 % of people ages 15-242005: 47.5 % of people ages 15-242007: 55 % of people ages 15-242011: 54.8 % of people ages 15-242013: 71.8 % of people ages 15-242016: 71.8 % of people ages 15-242019: 79 % of people ages 15-242021: 79.7 % of people ages 15-242022: 84.7 % of people ages 15-24

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 84.7% for literacy rate, youth total in 2022. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.3% on the previous year and up 54.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia peaked at 84.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 33.6%, in 1994.

Ethiopia ranks 77th of 95 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) in Ethiopia, 1994 to 2022.
Year % of people ages 15-24 Change
1994 33.6%
2000 38.6% +14.9%
2004 49.9% +29.2%
2005 47.5% -4.8%
2007 55.0% +15.8%
2011 54.8% -0.3%
2013 71.8% +31.0%
2016 71.8% -0.0%
2019 79.0% +10.1%
2021 79.7% +0.8%
2022 84.7% +6.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 33.6% 33.6% 33.6% 1
2000s 47.7% 38.6% 55.0% 4
2010s 69.4% 54.8% 79.0% 4
2020s 82.2% 79.7% 84.7% 2

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 74 Tanzania, United Republic of 87.1% compare
  2. 75 Timor-Leste 86.1% compare
  3. 76 Uganda 85.2% compare
  4. 78 Cameroon 81.9% compare
  5. 79 Nigeria 81.4% compare
  6. 80 Malawi 80.7% compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More education data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia?
Literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia was 84.7% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 84.7% in 2022.
What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 33.6% in 1994.
How does Ethiopia rank for literacy rate, youth total?
Ethiopia ranks 77th out of 95 countries with data for 2022.
Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 54.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24/ethiopia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24/ethiopia/">Literacy rate, youth total in Ethiopia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)
Unit
% of people ages 15-24
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
135 places, 2,762 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.