Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 3.43 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.43 million
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
8th
of 222 countries
All-time high
3.43 million
in 2025
All-time low
774,842
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia stood at 3.43 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia peaked at 3.43 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 774,842, in 1970.
Ethiopia ranks 8th of 222 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 774,842 | — |
| 1971 | 802,843 | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 830,610 | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 856,557 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 886,020 | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 919,905 | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 943,124 | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 968,479 | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 980,340 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 998,409 | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 999,620 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 999,815 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.05 million | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 1.10 million | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 1.14 million | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.17 million | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 1.21 million | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 1.24 million | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 1.28 million | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 1.31 million | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 1.32 million | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 1.35 million | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.43 million | +6.1% |
| 1993 | 1.52 million | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 1.61 million | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 1.71 million | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 1.78 million | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 1.85 million | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 1.93 million | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 2.00 million | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 2.09 million | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 2.17 million | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 2.24 million | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 2.31 million | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 2.38 million | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 2.44 million | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 2.49 million | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 2.56 million | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 2.62 million | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 2.69 million | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 2.75 million | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 2.80 million | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 2.87 million | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 2.93 million | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 2.97 million | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 3.00 million | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 3.02 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 3.02 million | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 3.04 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 3.07 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 3.07 million | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 3.08 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 3.15 million | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 3.24 million | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 3.34 million | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 3.43 million | +2.7% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 3.43 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 621,871, 5.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 3.43 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 414,762, 8.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 896,113 | 774,842 | 998,409 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.15 million | 999,620 | 1.31 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.65 million | 1.32 million | 2.00 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.40 million | 2.09 million | 2.69 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.95 million | 2.75 million | 3.07 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.22 million | 3.07 million | 3.43 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 5 Indonesia 4.56 million compare
- 6 United States of America 3.89 million compare
- 7 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.51 million compare
- 9 Bangladesh 3.16 million compare
- 10 Brazil 2.90 million compare
- 11 Egypt 2.44 million compare
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 population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Ethiopia was 3.43 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.43 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 774,842 in 1970.
- How does Ethiopia rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Ethiopia ranks 8th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. 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 the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release