Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 10.77 million in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
10.77 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
1st
of 181 countries
All-time high
10.77 million
in 2024
All-time low
7.50 million
in 2008
Years of data
19
1999–2024
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ethiopia, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 10.77 million for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2024. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ethiopia peaked at 10.77 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.50 million, in 2008.
That places Ethiopia 1st out of 181 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 10.51 million | — |
| 2000 | 10.54 million | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 10.44 million | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 10.51 million | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 10.72 million | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 10.66 million | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 9.44 million | -11.5% |
| 2006 | 8.81 million | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 8.18 million | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 7.50 million | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 7.90 million | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 8.20 million | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 7.92 million | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 7.80 million | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 8.07 million | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 8.54 million | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 10.53 million | +23.3% |
| 2023 | 10.66 million | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 10.77 million | +1.1% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 10.77 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.20 million, 9.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 10.77 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 544,931, 19.8× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.51 million | 10.51 million | 10.51 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 9.47 million | 7.50 million | 10.72 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.11 million | 7.80 million | 8.54 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 10.65 million | 10.53 million | 10.77 million | 3 |
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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ethiopia?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ethiopia was 10.77 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.77 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.50 million in 2008.
- How does Ethiopia rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Ethiopia ranks 1st out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release