Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 77.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia, 1987–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia stood at 77.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia peaked at 80.9% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 20.2%, in 1994.
That places Ethiopia 183rd out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 29.7% | — |
| 1988 | 30.1% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 28.8% | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 20.2% | -29.8% |
| 1995 | 23.0% | +13.9% |
| 1996 | 27.1% | +17.6% |
| 1998 | 33.3% | +22.9% |
| 1999 | 35.1% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 38.4% | +9.5% |
| 2001 | 42.0% | +9.3% |
| 2002 | 43.7% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 44.3% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 47.1% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 57.7% | +22.4% |
| 2006 | 62.6% | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 68.2% | +8.9% |
| 2008 | 74.1% | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 73.8% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 71.8% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 75.2% | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 76.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 80.9% | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 79.8% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 74.3% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 75.4% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 76.2% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 77.5% | +1.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 77.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 69.5%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 77.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 92% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.5% | 28.8% | 30.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 27.8% | 20.2% | 35.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 55.2% | 38.4% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.8% | 71.8% | 80.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 75.8% | 74.3% | 77.5% | 4 |
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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ethiopia was 77.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 80.9% in 2014.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.2% in 1994.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Ethiopia ranks 183rd out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. 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 (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.