Ethiopia: School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)

Key figures

Since 1971 it is down 23.71 percentage points from 28.14% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2021, Ethiopia's school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) rose 0.19 percentage points on 2020 (from 4.24% to 4.43%).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2020), the average change was −0.52 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.97 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above 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 1.11 percentage points in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.99 percentage points in 1974. 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 2021, Ethiopia had the 9th highest value of the 11 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 2021 ranking

• Botswana — 5th of 11: 6.94%
• Sierra Leone — 6th of 11: 6.55%
• Tanzania — 7th of 11: 4.55%
• Kyrgyz Republic — 9th of 11: 3.1%
• Liechtenstein — 10th of 11: 2.97%
• Viet Nam — 11th of 11: 1.54%

What this measures

Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.

Limitations: Religious or private schools, which are not registered with the government or don't follow the common national curriculum, may not be captured.

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

All 32 values

School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) in nearby economies

• Angola — 18.15% (2023)
• Benin — 25.78% (2022)
• Botswana — 6.94% (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 28.18% (2024)
• Burundi — 3.07% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 2.17% (2022)
• Cameroon — 25.34% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 16.73% (2016)
• Chad — 23.62% (2024)

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 school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)?

4.43% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 23.71 percentage points from 28.14% in 1971. The highest value was 28.14% in 1971 and the lowest 4% in 2012.

How does Ethiopia rank?

9th highest of 11 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2021, Ethiopia's school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) rose 0.19 percentage points on 2020 (from 4.24% to 4.43%). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2020), the average change was −0.52 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.97 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above 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.PRIV.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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