School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 12.01 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
12.01 million
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
7th
of 220 countries
All-time high
12.01 million
in 2025
All-time low
1.13 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
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 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% |
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
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 9.64 % change on previous year (2012)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 151,765 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 186,951 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 173,906 (2014)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 14.17 % change on previous year (2012)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 413,109 (2014)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 7.68 % change on previous year (2012)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
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
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release