School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 13.76 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
13.76 million
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
9th
of 221 countries
All-time high
13.76 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.45 million
in 1972
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Ethiopia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 13.76 million for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Ethiopia peaked at 13.76 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.45 million, in 1972.
Ethiopia ranks 9th of 221 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, tertiary education, both sexes in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.47 million | — |
| 1971 | 2.46 million | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 2.45 million | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 2.46 million | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 2.49 million | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 2.56 million | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 2.61 million | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 2.66 million | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 2.70 million | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 2.79 million | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 2.85 million | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 2.91 million | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 3.10 million | +6.7% |
| 1983 | 3.25 million | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 3.38 million | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 3.52 million | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 3.65 million | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 3.80 million | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 3.95 million | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 4.11 million | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 4.25 million | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 4.39 million | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 4.60 million | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 4.70 million | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 4.82 million | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 4.95 million | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 5.10 million | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 5.27 million | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 5.44 million | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 5.61 million | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 5.78 million | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 5.92 million | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 6.05 million | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 6.16 million | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 6.30 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 6.50 million | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 6.76 million | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 7.10 million | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 7.50 million | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 7.89 million | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 8.29 million | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 8.69 million | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 9.09 million | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 9.51 million | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 9.92 million | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 10.32 million | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 10.70 million | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 11.07 million | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 11.41 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 11.74 million | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 12.05 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 12.38 million | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 12.69 million | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 13.00 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 13.31 million | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 13.76 million | +3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.57 million | 2.45 million | 2.79 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.45 million | 2.85 million | 4.11 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.91 million | 4.25 million | 5.61 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.60 million | 5.78 million | 7.89 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.07 million | 8.29 million | 11.74 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.87 million | 12.05 million | 13.76 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 6 Indonesia 22.19 million compare
- 7 Bangladesh 16.80 million compare
- 8 Brazil 15.13 million compare
- 10 Mexico 11.19 million compare
- 11 Philippines 10.87 million compare
- 12 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10.29 million compare
More education data for Ethiopia
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0498 % change on previous year (2012)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Ethiopia?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Ethiopia was 13.76 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.76 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.45 million in 1972.
- How does Ethiopia rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Ethiopia ranks 9th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.4%. 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, tertiary 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