Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Secondary education, pupils was 5.03 million in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
5.03 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
24th
of 206 countries
All-time high
5.03 million
in 2015
All-time low
135,179
in 1971
Years of data
30
1971–2015

Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia, 1971–2015

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M1971199320151971: 135.2k1972: 149.3k1973: 169.6k1974: 191.7k1984: 583.8k1986: 666.2k1987: 752.3k1988: 852.2k1989: 882.1k1991: 866.0k1992: 782.4k1993: 720.8k1994: 723.0k1995: 756.2k1996: 819.2k1999: 1.1M2000: 1.2M2001: 1.5M2002: 1.7M2003: 1.9M2004: 2.1M2005: 2.5M2006: 3.0M2007: 3.4M2008: 3.7M2009: 3.9M2010: 4.2M2011: 4.5M2012: 4.9M2015: 5.0M

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia is 5.03 million, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 102.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia peaked at 5.03 million in 2015 and was at its lowest, 135,179, in 1971.

Ethiopia ranks 24th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia, 1971 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1971 135,179
1972 149,303 +10.4%
1973 169,635 +13.6%
1974 191,704 +13.0%
1984 583,783 +204.5%
1986 666,169 +14.1%
1987 752,346 +12.9%
1988 852,250 +13.3%
1989 882,119 +3.5%
1991 866,016 -1.8%
1992 782,412 -9.7%
1993 720,825 -7.9%
1994 723,009 +0.3%
1995 756,249 +4.6%
1996 819,242 +8.3%
1999 1.06 million +29.4%
2000 1.19 million +12.7%
2001 1.50 million +25.2%
2002 1.73 million +16.0%
2003 1.86 million +7.1%
2004 2.14 million +15.2%
2005 2.49 million +16.2%
2006 2.99 million +20.3%
2007 3.43 million +14.6%
2008 3.70 million +7.8%
2009 3.88 million +5.0%
2010 4.21 million +8.3%
2011 4.54 million +8.0%
2012 4.93 million +8.5%
2015 5.03 million +2.0%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 5.03 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.07 million, 4.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 5.03 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 901,617, 5.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1984 +204.5% 191,704 583,783

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 161,455 135,179 191,704 4
1980s 747,333 583,783 882,119 5
1990s 818,215 720,825 1.06 million 7
2000s 2.49 million 1.19 million 3.88 million 10
2010s 4.68 million 4.21 million 5.03 million 4

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 21 France 6.27 million compare
  2. 22 Algeria 6.07 million compare
  3. 23 South Africa 5.50 million compare
  4. 25 Colombia 4.85 million compare
  5. 26 Italy 4.61 million compare
  6. 27 Argentina 4.56 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia?
Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia was 5.03 million in 2015, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 5.03 million in 2015.
What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 135,179 in 1971.
How does Ethiopia rank for secondary education, pupils?
Ethiopia ranks 24th out of 206 countries with data for 2015.
Is secondary education, pupils rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 102.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Secondary education, pupils in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/secondary-education-pupils/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Secondary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 10,025 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.