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 42.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
42.1%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
10th
of 171 countries
All-time high
74.7%
in 1999
All-time low
38.8%
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
Ethiopia recorded 42.1% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia peaked at 74.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 38.8%, in 2014.
That places Ethiopia 10th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 74.7% | — |
| 2000 | 71.7% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 68.6% | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 66.7% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 38.8% | -41.8% |
| 2015 | 39.8% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 41.8% | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 42.1% | +0.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 42.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 41.5%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 42.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 1.8× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.7% | 74.7% | 74.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 69.0% | 66.7% | 71.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 39.3% | 38.8% | 39.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 41.9% | 41.8% | 42.1% | 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 42.1% 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 74.7% 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 38.8% 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 8.5%. 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, female (%). 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