Ethiopia: Adolescents out of school, male (% of male lower secondary school age)

Key figures

Since 1999 it is down 0.46 percentage points from 55.83% in 1999. The World Bank has no value for 7 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ethiopia's adolescents out of school, male (% of male lower secondary school age) rose 2.63 percentage points on 2023 (from 52.75% to 55.37%).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was −0.94 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.51 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.56 percentage points in 2002. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Ethiopia had the 5th highest value of the 67 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ethiopia in the 2024 ranking

• Niger — 1st of 67: 79.76%
• Senegal — 2nd of 67: 68.94%
• Burkina Faso — 3rd of 67: 63.04%
• El Salvador — 5th of 67: 54.97%
• Syrian Arab Republic — 6th of 67: 54.02%
• Chad — 7th of 67: 53.83%

What this measures

Adolescents out of school are the percentage of lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in school.

Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 19 values

Adolescents out of school, male (% of male lower secondary school age) in nearby economies

• Botswana — 9.54% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 63.04% (2024)
• Burundi — 39.2% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 83.09% (2022)
• Cameroon — 45.25% (2023)
• Chad — 53.83% (2024)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 32.1% (2024)
• Eritrea — 32.03% (2022)
• Eswatini

More education data for Ethiopia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.91 (2021)
• Primary education, pupils — 15.93 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 84.42% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 81.41% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 87.32% (2024)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ethiopia's adolescents out of school, male (% of male lower secondary school age)?

55.37% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 0.46 percentage points from 55.83% in 1999. The highest value was 55.83% in 1999 and the lowest 39.29% in 2007.

How does Ethiopia rank?

5th highest of 67 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in adolescents out of school, male (% of male lower secondary school age) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2024, Ethiopia's adolescents out of school, male (% of male lower secondary school age) rose 2.63 percentage points on 2023 (from 52.75% to 55.37%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was −0.94 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.UNER.LO.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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