School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 19.24 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
19.24 million
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
8th
of 222 countries
All-time high
19.24 million
in 2025
All-time low
4.12 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia is 19.24 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia peaked at 19.24 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.12 million, in 1970.
That places Ethiopia 8th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.12 million | — |
| 1971 | 4.31 million | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 4.49 million | +4.1% |
| 1973 | 4.64 million | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 4.81 million | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 4.97 million | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 5.13 million | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 5.30 million | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 5.38 million | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 5.50 million | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 5.54 million | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 5.54 million | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 5.79 million | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 5.97 million | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 6.15 million | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 6.33 million | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 6.55 million | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 6.78 million | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 7.03 million | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 7.27 million | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 7.46 million | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 7.65 million | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 7.92 million | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 8.17 million | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 8.49 million | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 8.87 million | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 9.30 million | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 9.77 million | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 10.25 million | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 10.72 million | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 11.19 million | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 11.64 million | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 12.10 million | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 12.56 million | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 13.01 million | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 13.45 million | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 13.85 million | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 14.24 million | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 14.63 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 15.02 million | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 15.41 million | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 15.78 million | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 16.16 million | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 16.54 million | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 16.90 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 17.22 million | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 17.49 million | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 17.71 million | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 17.89 million | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 18.02 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 18.12 million | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 18.20 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 18.34 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 18.57 million | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 18.87 million | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 19.24 million | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.86 million | 4.12 million | 5.50 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.30 million | 5.54 million | 7.27 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.86 million | 7.46 million | 10.72 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.17 million | 11.19 million | 15.02 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.91 million | 15.41 million | 18.02 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.56 million | 18.12 million | 19.24 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 5 Indonesia 28.58 million compare
- 6 United States of America 24.47 million compare
- 7 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 19.24 million compare
- 9 Egypt 15.83 million compare
- 10 Bangladesh 15.64 million compare
- 11 Brazil 14.49 million compare
More education data for Ethiopia
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 338,716 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.8% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 84.42 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 84.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Ethiopia was 19.24 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.24 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.12 million in 1970.
- How does Ethiopia rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Ethiopia ranks 8th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.7%. 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 School age population, 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