Ethiopia: Primary education, pupils

Key figures

Since 1971 it is up 2,330% from 655,427 in 1971 (6.2% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 4 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ethiopia's primary education, pupils rose 2.5% on 2023 (from 15.55 million to 15.93 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2023), the average change was +5.9% and a typical year strayed about 11.6% 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 31.5% in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.3% in 1992. 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 4th highest value of the 119 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

• China — 1st of 119: 108.57 million
• Pakistan — 2nd of 119: 25.38 million
• Bangladesh — 3rd of 119: 16.69 million
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 5th of 119: 15.4 million
• Brazil — 6th of 119: 15.11 million
• Philippines — 7th of 119: 13.06 million

What this measures

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

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

All 50 values

Primary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Angola — 5.38 million (2023)
• Benin — 2.4 million (2022)
• Botswana — 381,674 (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 3.07 million (2024)
• Burundi — 2.52 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 61,167 (2022)
• Cameroon — 5.29 million (2024)
• Central African Republic — 813,767 (2016)
• Chad — 3.05 million (2024)
• Comoros — 102,152 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 21.15 million (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

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)
• 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) — 47.11% (2015)
• Secondary education, general pupils

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 primary education, pupils?

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

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 2,330% from 655,427 in 1971 (6.2% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 20.42 million in 2020 and the lowest 655,427 in 1971.

How does Ethiopia rank?

4th highest of 119 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary education, pupils unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2024, Ethiopia's primary education, pupils rose 2.5% on 2023 (from 15.55 million to 15.93 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2023), the average change was +5.9% and a typical year strayed about 11.6% 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.ENRL, 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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