10 answers, 5 from Ethiopia's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
How many students passed Ethiopia's grade 12 national exam?
70,544 students passed the 2026 (EFY 2018) grade 12 national exam, according to the Ministry of Education. The highest score nationally was 591.6, and the highest score among female students was 583, both in natural science, according to the ministry's results announcements of 28 August 2026.
The exam is run by the Educational Assessment and Examinations Service and was given in several rounds, online and on paper, according to a ministry update of July 2026. A passing result qualifies a student for university entry. The announcement does not state how many students sat the exam, so a pass rate cannot be worked out from it.
60.5% of Ethiopians aged 15 and over could read and write in 2022, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators, up from 47.5% in 2016. The 2024/25 Demographic and Health Survey finds that 57% of women aged 15 to 49 are literate and 33% have no education, according to the Ethiopian Statistical Service EDHS summary report.
The two measures cover different groups and come from different surveys, so they are not directly comparable. The EDHS also finds that 6% of women have completed only primary education, 3% secondary, and 9% have more than secondary education.
4,236,782 children of primary school age in Ethiopia were out of school in 2024, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators, which use UNESCO Institute for Statistics data. The number has fallen from 4,684,443 in 2021.
The figure counts children of official primary age not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Gross primary enrolment was 84.4% in 2024, according to the World Bank, against 101.3% in 2021.
The rate compares the number of new entrants to the last grade of primary school with the population at that age, so it is a proxy rather than a count of children who finish. The Ministry of Education publishes enrolment, repetition and dropout by region in its Education Statistics Annual Abstract, which has a 2024/25 edition.
Government spending on education in Ethiopia was 2.3% of GDP in 2024, down from 4.1% in 2021, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators. The federal budget for 2026/27 allocates Birr 158.2 billion to education, Birr 97.0 billion recurrent and Birr 61.3 billion capital, according to the Ministry of Finance budget proclamation tables.
Federal spending covers mainly universities and national programmes; regional and city governments pay for most schools from their own budgets and federal subsidies. The share of GDP fell partly because nominal GDP rose fast with inflation.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
How many children in Ethiopia are in primary school?
84.6%: that is net primary school enrolment in Ethiopia for 2015, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Since 2005 it has ranged from 60.4% (2005) to 85.1% (2014). It is 11th highest of 24 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 84.3%. Of 131 countries with 2015 data, 109th highest.
How many teenagers in Ethiopia are in school?
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2015, is 33.9%. The peak was 36.2% in 2012 and the low 23.9% in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 43.8%, and Ethiopia placed 27th highest of 33. Worldwide: 142nd of 148.
How many adults in Ethiopia can read?
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2022, is 60.5%. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2007. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 62.8%; Ethiopia is 8th highest of 12. Of 44 countries with 2022 data, 40th highest.
How much does Ethiopia spend on education?
In 2024, government spending on education in Ethiopia was 2.3% of GDP, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the lowest since at least 2006. It is 11th highest of 11 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 4.6% of GDP. Worldwide: 33rd of 36.
What share of children in Ethiopia finish primary school?
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the primary completion rate in Ethiopia at 54.4% in 2024. Its high point since 2005 was 2020, at 62.5%; its low point was 2005, at 40.5%. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 77.3%; Ethiopia is 17th highest of 19. World rank, highest first: 102nd of 104.