Ethiopia: Children out of school, primary

Key figures

Since 1987 it is down 11.12% from 4.77 million in 1987 (0.32% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 10 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ethiopia's children out of school, primary fell 4.2% on 2023 (from 4.42 million to 4.24 million).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2023), the average change was −1.9% and a typical year strayed about 7.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.2% in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.3% in 2005. 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 1st highest value of the 101 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

• Tanzania — 2nd of 101: 2.01 million
• Niger — 3rd of 101: 1.88 million
• Philippines — 4th of 101: 1.62 million

What this measures

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.

Limitations: Due to different data sources for enrollment and population data, the number may not capture the actual number of children not attending in primary school.

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

All 28 values

Children out of school, primary in nearby economies

• Benin — 213,285 (2022)
• Botswana — 1,869 (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 1.36 million (2024)
• Burundi — 661,724 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 24,851 (2022)
• Cameroon — 173,924 (2024)
• Chad — 855,041 (2024)
• Comoros — 21,743 (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 171,125 (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 650,800 (2024)
• Equatorial Guinea — 128,846 (2015)

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 children out of school, primary?

4.24 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1987?

It is down 11.12% from 4.77 million in 1987 (0.32% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6.99 million in 2003 and the lowest 1.83 million in 2017.

How does Ethiopia rank?

1st highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in children out of school, primary unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2024, Ethiopia's children out of school, primary fell 4.2% on 2023 (from 4.42 million to 4.24 million). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2023), the average change was −1.9% and a typical year strayed about 7.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.UNER, 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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