School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) was 12.01 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 12.01 million for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia peaked at 12.01 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.13 million, in 1970.
Ethiopia ranks 7th of 220 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.13 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.16 million | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 1.21 million | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 1.29 million | +6.5% |
| 1974 | 1.35 million | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 1.40 million | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 1.45 million | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 1.51 million | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 1.53 million | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 1.58 million | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 1.59 million | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 1.61 million | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 1.70 million | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 1.74 million | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 1.79 million | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 1.83 million | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 1.88 million | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 1.92 million | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 1.99 million | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 2.07 million | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 2.17 million | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 2.25 million | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 2.35 million | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 2.43 million | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 2.50 million | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 2.56 million | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 2.59 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 2.62 million | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 5.28 million | +101.2% |
| 1999 | 5.46 million | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 5.72 million | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 6.05 million | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 6.38 million | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 6.69 million | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 6.99 million | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 7.27 million | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 7.58 million | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 7.90 million | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 8.22 million | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 8.52 million | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 8.82 million | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 9.10 million | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 9.37 million | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 9.64 million | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 9.90 million | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 10.16 million | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 10.43 million | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 10.68 million | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 10.93 million | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 11.18 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 11.40 million | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 11.61 million | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 11.77 million | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 11.86 million | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 11.93 million | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 12.01 million | +0.6% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 12.01 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.02 million, 6.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 12.01 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.12 million, 10.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +101.2% | 2.62 million | 5.28 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.36 million | 1.13 million | 1.58 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.81 million | 1.59 million | 2.07 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.02 million | 2.17 million | 5.46 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.13 million | 5.72 million | 8.52 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.02 million | 8.82 million | 11.18 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.76 million | 11.40 million | 12.01 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 4 Nigeria 17.70 million compare
- 5 Indonesia 14.54 million compare
- 6 United States 12.76 million compare
- 8 Brazil 11.63 million compare
- 9 Bangladesh 9.63 million compare
- 10 Philippines 9.43 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 school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia was 12.01 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.01 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.13 million in 1970.
- How does Ethiopia rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Ethiopia ranks 7th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, lower secondary 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