Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Ethiopia: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 30.1% (2021), 141st of 176 in the world and 16th of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 84.4% (2024), 175th of 191 in the world and 35th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 54.4% (2024), 161st of 168 in the world and 30th of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
EthiopiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
EthiopiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: Ethiopia 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 | 30.1%2021 | 141/176 | 16/39 | 1.6% | 4.2% | 33.3% | +25.4 ppsince 2011 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 84.4%2024 | 175/191 | 35/41 | 52.2% | 88.5% | 112.7% | −8.7 ppsince 2014 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 54.4%2024 | 161/168 | 30/36 | 22.0% | 56.0% | 62.5% | +3.3 ppsince 2014 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 33.9%2015 | — | — | 14.5% | 33.0% | · | +10.1 ppsince 2005 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 21.4%2023 | 166/168 | 32/34 | 9.1%1999 | 26.0% | 21.7%2022 | −3.2 ppsince 2012 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 5.9%2014 | — | — | 1.2% | 7.0% | · | +3.2 ppsince 2004 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 22.5%2024 | 21/178 | 15/38 | 61.6% | 28.2% | 25.7%2021 | +3.3 ppsince 2014 | — | 24.1% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 60.5%2022 | 125/141 | 27/41 | · | · | 54.9%2021 | +21.5 ppsince 2007 | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 84.7%2022 | 121/148 | 19/42 | 38.6% | 54.8%2011 | 79.7%2021 | +29.9 ppsince 2011 | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 55.12011 | — | — | 67.3 | 54.1 | · | −18%since 2000 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 2.3%2024 | 163/184 | 37/43 | 3.9% | 4.5% | 4.1% | −2.3 ppsince 2014 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 16.7%2024 | 40/179 | 16/42 | 14.9% | 26.3% | 22.4% | −9.2 ppsince 2014 | 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+25.4 pp30.1% in 2021
- Primary completion+3.3 pp54.4% in 2024
- Secondary enrolment+10.1 pp33.9% in 2015
- Tertiary enrolment+3.2 pp5.9% in 2014
Worse than ten years ago
- Lower secondary completion−3.2 pp21.4% in 2023
- Out-of-school children+3.3 pp22.5% in 2024
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Ethiopia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Ethiopia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Ethiopia | Kenya | Sudan | Somalia | South Sudan | Eritrea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 30.1%2021 | 65.1%2019 | 47.4%2018 | 1.1%2021 | 11.6%2018 | 23.9%2019 |
| Primary enrolment | 84.4%2024 | 98.2%2023 | 72.4%2019 | 20.9%2023 | 98.4%2024 | 89.7%2022 |
| Primary completion | 54.4%2024 | 102.2%2016 | 60.1%2019 | — | 28.7%2011 | 61.3%2022 |
| Secondary enrolment | 33.9%2015 | 84.3%2023 | 43.5%2019 | 3.3%2023 | 122.1%2024 | 44.0%2022 |
| Lower secondary completion | 21.4%2023 | 101.2%2023 | 47.5%2019 | — | 20.5%2011 | 53.4%2022 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 5.9%2014 | 10.4%2024 | 15.9%2015 | — | — | 3.2%2016 |
| Out-of-school children | 22.5%2024 | 32.9%2022 | 43.8%2019 | — | 64.7%2024 | 40.4%2022 |
| Adult literacy | 60.5%2022 | — | 53.5%2008 | 54.1%2022 | 26.8%2008 | 64.7%2008 |
| Youth literacy | 84.7%2022 | 93.2%2014 | 65.8%2008 | 70.7%2022 | 36.7%2008 | 87.0%2008 |