School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) was 17.90 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
17.90 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
9th
of 220 countries
All-time high
17.90 million
in 2025
All-time low
3.22 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia stood at 17.90 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia peaked at 17.90 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.22 million, in 1970.
That places Ethiopia 9th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.22 million | — |
| 1971 | 3.30 million | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 3.40 million | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 3.52 million | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 3.66 million | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 3.80 million | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 3.97 million | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 4.14 million | +4.5% |
| 1978 | 4.25 million | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 4.37 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 4.43 million | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 4.48 million | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 4.71 million | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 4.87 million | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 5.02 million | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 5.17 million | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 5.32 million | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 5.46 million | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 5.62 million | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 5.82 million | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 6.02 million | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 6.24 million | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 6.54 million | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 6.77 million | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 7.00 million | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 7.21 million | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 7.40 million | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 7.56 million | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 7.74 million | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 7.97 million | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 8.27 million | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 8.62 million | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 9.03 million | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 9.49 million | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 9.97 million | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 10.43 million | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 10.89 million | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 11.34 million | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 11.81 million | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 12.27 million | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 12.73 million | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 13.18 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 13.61 million | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 14.03 million | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 14.42 million | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 14.83 million | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 15.22 million | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 15.60 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 15.99 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 16.37 million | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 16.72 million | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 17.05 million | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 17.32 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 17.54 million | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 17.72 million | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 17.90 million | +1.0% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 17.90 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.51 million, 5.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 17.90 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.39 million, 7.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.76 million | 3.22 million | 4.37 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.09 million | 4.43 million | 5.82 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.05 million | 6.02 million | 7.97 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.21 million | 8.27 million | 12.27 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.60 million | 12.73 million | 16.37 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.38 million | 16.72 million | 17.90 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 6 United States 26.41 million compare
- 7 Bangladesh 23.11 million compare
- 8 Brazil 20.64 million compare
- 10 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.41 million compare
- 11 Egypt 14.06 million compare
- 12 Philippines 14.03 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, secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia?
- School age population, secondary education, both sexes in Ethiopia was 17.90 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.90 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.22 million in 1970.
- How does Ethiopia rank for school age population, secondary education, both sexes?
- Ethiopia ranks 9th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. 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, 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