Country profile

Ethiopia

Sub-Saharan Africa Low income132.06M inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing conflict. Data may not reflect the current situation due to instability.

Composite GEFRI Score

Critically unprepared

Ethiopia is critically unprepared for education futures (10th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

23.38Composite score

Global percentile: 10th
Global rank: #160
Regional rank: #31
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

25.55

9th percentileGlobal avg. 56.53

Human Capital

24.14

8th percentileGlobal avg. 47.25

Innovation

30.24

24th percentileGlobal avg. 43.36

Governance

31.98

24th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71

Access & Parity

5.00

13th percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

Ethiopia trails global peers in Governance (32, 24th percentile), Innovation (30, 24th percentile), Infrastructure (26, 9th percentile), Human Capital (24, 8th percentile), and School Access and Gender Parity (5, 13th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Gender parity leans toward boys in secondary pathways, signalling persistent barriers for girls.

Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Note: Several indicators use imputed values. Policymakers and planners should validate results further before committing to major initiatives.

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 10th percentile.
Places 160th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 31st within Sub-Saharan Africa .
Scores range from Governance (32.0) to Access & Parity (5.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
64	1	South Africa	57.14
65	2	Mauritius	56.84
—	—	SeychellesMicrostate	55.82
72	3	Botswana	55.57
108	4	Namibia	43.84
110	5	Ghana	41.23
114	6	Cabo Verde	39.72
120	7	Eswatini	37.49
127	8	Gabon	34.54
128	9	Equatorial Guinea	34.53
130	10	Senegal	33.52
131	11	Rwanda	33.46
133	12	Kenya	32.24
135	13	Cote d'Ivoire	31.84
137	14	Lesotho	31.43
139	15	Gambia, The	30.95
—	—	Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate	29.38
142	16	Zambia	28.60
143	17	Tanzania	28.42
144	18	Benin	28.31
146	19	Togo	28.16
147	20	Angola	27.99
148	21	ZimbabweFCS	27.68
150	22	CameroonFCS	27.47
151	23	Mauritania	25.86
152	24	Sierra Leone	25.59
153	25	ComorosFCS	25.31
154	26	MozambiqueFCS	24.91
155	27	Congo, Rep.FCS	24.74
157	28	NigeriaFCS	24.13
158	29	Madagascar	23.50
159	30	Malawi	23.45
160	31	EthiopiaFCS	23.38
161	32	Burkina FasoFCS	23.24
163	33	MaliFCS	23.05
164	34	Guinea	22.80
165	35	Uganda	22.62
166	36	Guinea-BissauFCS	21.96
167	37	Liberia	21.24
168	38	NigerFCS	20.29
169	39	SudanFCS	20.02
170	40	BurundiFCS	18.76
171	41	EritreaFCS	18.47
172	42	Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS	18.44
174	43	ChadFCS	15.58
175	44	South SudanFCS	15.30
176	45	Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS	14.87
177	46	Central African RepublicFCS	13.56