Trends of human capital development in Ethiopia: a comparative analysis

This study attempted to address the trends of human capital development (HCD) in Ethiopia compared to the sub-Saharan African region and the world's standards. The study was purely quantitative, employing secondary data. The World Bank's time series data from 1981-2018 was considered for the study. An average year of schooling was taken as the major proxy indicator of HCD for the analysis. Descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, and mean differences were used. Compared to the status of Ethiopia's HC, it remains the lowest and least ranked among countries, even less than the sub-Saharan standard. From these findings, it can be concluded that the average years of schooling remained low as it was challenged by low completion rates at primary and secondary levels. Therefore, Ethiopia is advised to work vigorously beyond universalising primary education and better focus on the introduction of compulsory secondary education, even beyond, to boost its HC.