Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Out-of-school children of primary school age, male was 1.91 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.91 million
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
4th
of 180 countries
All-time high
3.29 million
in 2003
All-time low
627,982
in 2017
Years of data
28
1987–2024

Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia, 1987–2024

1.0M2.0M3.0M1987200520241987: 2.2M1988: 2.3M1989: 2.4M1994: 3.3M1995: 3.3M1996: 3.2M1998: 3.1M1999: 3.2M2000: 3.2M2001: 3.1M2002: 3.2M2003: 3.3M2004: 3.3M2005: 2.7M2006: 2.5M2007: 2.2M2008: 1.8M2009: 1.9M2010: 2.1M2011: 2.2M2012: 1.8M2014: 1.4M2015: 1.6M2017: 628.0k2021: 2.1M2022: 2.0M2023: 2.0M2024: 1.9M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia is 1.91 million, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 31.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia peaked at 3.29 million in 2003 and was at its lowest, 627,982, in 2017.

Ethiopia ranks 4th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children of primary school age, male (number) in Ethiopia, 1987 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1987 2.22 million
1988 2.28 million +3.1%
1989 2.45 million +7.1%
1994 3.29 million +34.4%
1995 3.27 million -0.7%
1996 3.18 million -2.7%
1998 3.14 million -1.1%
1999 3.22 million +2.5%
2000 3.20 million -0.6%
2001 3.15 million -1.8%
2002 3.19 million +1.3%
2003 3.29 million +3.3%
2004 3.29 million -0.2%
2005 2.72 million -17.4%
2006 2.49 million -8.2%
2007 2.16 million -13.2%
2008 1.78 million -17.6%
2009 1.89 million +6.2%
2010 2.08 million +10.0%
2011 2.21 million +5.9%
2012 1.81 million -17.7%
2014 1.45 million -20.1%
2015 1.55 million +7.2%
2017 627,982 -59.6%
2021 2.11 million +235.8%
2022 2.05 million -3.0%
2023 2.01 million -1.5%
2024 1.91 million -5.1%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 1.91 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 318,822, 6.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 1.91 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 142,582, 13.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2021 +235.8% 627,982 2.11 million
2017 -59.6% 1.55 million 627,982

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.32 million 2.22 million 2.45 million 3
1990s 3.22 million 3.14 million 3.29 million 5
2000s 2.72 million 1.78 million 3.29 million 10
2010s 1.62 million 627,982 2.21 million 6
2020s 2.02 million 1.91 million 2.11 million 4

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 1 Nigeria 4.39 million compare
  2. 2 China 4.34 million compare
  3. 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2.58 million compare
  4. 5 Sudan 1.67 million compare
  5. 6 Tanzania, United Republic of 1.19 million compare
  6. 7 Angola 1.14 million compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More education data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia?
Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia was 1.91 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, male recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 3.29 million in 2003.
What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, male recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 627,982 in 2017.
How does Ethiopia rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, male?
Ethiopia ranks 4th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
Is out-of-school children of primary school age, male rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children of primary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-of-primary-school-age-male-number/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children of primary school age, male (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
219 places, 4,596 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release