Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 25.28 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
25.28 million
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
11th
of 197 countries
All-time high
25.28 million
in 2025
All-time low
12.96 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Ethiopia, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 25.28 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Ethiopia peaked at 25.28 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.96 million, in 1998.
Ethiopia ranks 11th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.96 million | — |
| 1999 | 13.58 million | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 14.23 million | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 14.86 million | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 15.47 million | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 16.06 million | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 16.66 million | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 17.25 million | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 17.81 million | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 18.37 million | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 18.91 million | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 19.44 million | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 19.97 million | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 20.48 million | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 20.98 million | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 21.49 million | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 21.98 million | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 22.44 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 22.85 million | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 23.18 million | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 23.48 million | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 23.75 million | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 23.95 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 24.11 million | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 24.29 million | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 24.54 million | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 24.86 million | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 25.28 million | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.27 million | 12.96 million | 13.58 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.91 million | 14.23 million | 19.44 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.06 million | 19.97 million | 23.75 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.51 million | 23.95 million | 25.28 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 8 Mexico 30.64 million compare
- 9 Philippines 29.94 million compare
- 10 Egypt 29.89 million compare
- 12 Russian Federation 20.04 million compare
- 13 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 19.24 million compare
- 14 Kenya 16.35 million compare
More education data for Ethiopia
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.03 million (2015)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 8.52 % change on previous year (2012)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 338,716 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -5.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.44 million (2015)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 9.91 % change on previous year (2012)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.59 million (2015)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 7.33 % change on previous year (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.48 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 10.74 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Ethiopia?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Ethiopia was 25.28 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.28 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.96 million in 1998.
- How does Ethiopia rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Ethiopia ranks 11th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. 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, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release