Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Eritrea: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 23.9% (2019), 152nd of 176 in the world and 20th of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 89.7% (2022), 166th of 191 in the world and 29th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 61.3% (2022), 156th of 168 in the world and 26th of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
EritreaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
EritreaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: Eritrea in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 23.9%2019 | 152/176 | 20/39 | 8.5% | 23.9% | 23.9%2019 | +0.2 ppsince 2009 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 89.7%2022 | 166/191 | 29/41 | 95.3% | 73.6% | 89.7%2022 | +7.1 ppsince 2012 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 61.3%2022 | 156/168 | 26/36 | 61.2% | 61.5% | 61.3%2022 | +3.1 ppsince 2012 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 44.0%2022 | 163/176 | 22/34 | 45.3% | 51.6% | 44.0%2022 | −8.7 ppsince 2012 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 53.4%2022 | 142/168 | 15/34 | 48.4% | 55.5% | 53.4%2022 | −2.1 ppsince 2010 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 3.2%2016 | 170/172 | 33/34 | 2.0% | 4.4% | · | +1.2 ppsince 2004 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 40.4%2022 | 4/178 | 4/38 | 36.6% | 42.3% | 40.4%2022 | +7.0 ppsince 2012 | — | 24.1% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 64.7%2008 | — | — | 52.5%2002 | 64.7%2008 | · | — | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 87.0%2008 | — | — | 77.9%2002 | 87.0%2008 | · | — | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 38.72018 | 23/173 | 19/40 | 47.5 | 38.0 | 38.72018 | −9.8%since 2008 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 2.1%2006 | — | — | 4.0%2001 | · | · | +0.5 ppsince 1996 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 5.4%2006 | — | — | 8.8%2001 | · | · | +2.5 ppsince 1996 | 15.4% | 16.7% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+0.2 pp23.9% in 2019
- Primary completion+3.1 pp61.3% in 2022
- Tertiary enrolment+1.2 pp3.2% in 2016
- Pupils per teacher−9.8%38.7 in 2018
Worse than ten years ago
- Secondary enrolment−8.7 pp44.0% in 2022
- Lower secondary completion−2.1 pp53.4% in 2022
- Out-of-school children+7.0 pp40.4% in 2022
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Eritrea and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Eritrea. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Sudan | Djibouti |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 23.9%2019 | 30.1%2021 | 47.4%2018 | 11.6%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 89.7%2022 | 84.4%2024 | 72.4%2019 | — |
| Primary completion | 61.3%2022 | 54.4%2024 | 60.1%2019 | — |
| Secondary enrolment | 44.0%2022 | 33.9%2015 | 43.5%2019 | — |
| Lower secondary completion | 53.4%2022 | 21.4%2023 | 47.5%2019 | — |
| Tertiary enrolment | 3.2%2016 | 5.9%2014 | 15.9%2015 | 5.2%2011 |
| Out-of-school children | 40.4%2022 | 22.5%2024 | 43.8%2019 | — |
| Adult literacy | 64.7%2008 | 60.5%2022 | 53.5%2008 | — |
| Youth literacy | 87.0%2008 | 84.7%2022 | 65.8%2008 | 79.6%2017 |