School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 8.21 years in 2015. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Ethiopia, 1971–2015
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 8.21 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in 2015. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Ethiopia peaked at 8.21 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.13 years, in 1971.
Ethiopia ranks 181st of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.13 years | — |
| 1972 | 1.2 years | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 1.25 years | +4.2% |
| 1974 | 1.36 years | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 3.18 years | +133.3% |
| 1986 | 3 years | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 3.39 years | +12.9% |
| 1988 | 3.51 years | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 3.4 years | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 2.73 years | -19.7% |
| 1992 | 2.25 years | -17.7% |
| 1993 | 1.95 years | -13.1% |
| 1994 | 2.24 years | +14.7% |
| 1995 | 2.47 years | +10.3% |
| 1996 | 2.85 years | +15.4% |
| 1999 | 3.88 years | +36.1% |
| 2000 | 4.24 years | +9.5% |
| 2001 | 4.79 years | +12.9% |
| 2002 | 5.15 years | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 5.31 years | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 5.64 years | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 6.47 years | +14.7% |
| 2006 | 7.01 years | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 7.56 years | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 7.95 years | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 7.86 years | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 7.81 years | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 7.94 years | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 7.99 years | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 8.21 years | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.23 years | 1.13 years | 1.36 years | 4 |
| 1980s | 3.3 years | 3 years | 3.51 years | 5 |
| 1990s | 2.62 years | 1.95 years | 3.88 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 6.2 years | 4.24 years | 7.95 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.99 years | 7.81 years | 8.21 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More education data for Ethiopia
- 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)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Ethiopia?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Ethiopia was 8.21 years in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.21 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.13 years in 1971.
- How does Ethiopia rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Ethiopia ranks 181st out of 197 countries with data for 2015.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.8%. 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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.