Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 40.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
40.0%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
10th
of 171 countries
All-time high
60.4%
in 1999
All-time low
34.9%
in 2014
Years of data
9
1999–2024
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia stood at 40.0%.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia peaked at 60.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 34.9%, in 2014.
Ethiopia ranks 10th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 60.4% | — |
| 2000 | 59.1% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 55.2% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 53.1% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | -34.3% |
| 2015 | 34.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 38.5% | +10.3% |
| 2023 | 39.3% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 40.0% | +1.7% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 40.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 40.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.6%, 1.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.4% | 60.4% | 60.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 55.8% | 53.1% | 59.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 34.9% | 34.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 39.3% | 38.5% | 40.0% | 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 rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia was 40.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 60.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.9% in 2014.
- How does Ethiopia rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Ethiopia ranks 10th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. 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 rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release