Literacy rates among adults in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Literacy rates among adults was 60.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Ethiopia, 1994–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rates among adults in Ethiopia stood at 60.5%. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Ethiopia peaked at 60.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 1994.
That places Ethiopia 78th out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.0% | 27.0% | 27.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 37.5% | 35.9% | 39.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 47.5% | 55.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 57.7% | 54.9% | 60.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More education data for Ethiopia
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.8% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 84.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 338,716 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.91 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 81.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Ethiopia?
- Literacy rates among adults in Ethiopia was 60.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 60.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 1994.
- How does Ethiopia rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Ethiopia ranks 78th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.