The impact of the Tigray war on child education and labor in Ethiopia

Dados Bibliográficos

ID19219476
AutoresYemareshet Hailu Demeke (0000-0003-1312-8575, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies), Dainn Wie (0000-0003-2223-2198, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, autor correspondente)
Ano2026
Volume206
Páginas107449-107449
Data de publicação2026-05-13
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoWorld Development (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0305-750X • E-ISSN: 1873-5991
EditoraElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.worlddev.2026.107449
OpenAlexW7161002435
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas27

This study provides the first empirical evidence on the impact of the Tigray War on children’s education and child labor in Ethiopia. We combine panel data from the 2018/19 and 2021/22 waves of the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey with geocoded conflict data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The analysis focuses on children aged 7–18 across Ethiopia, excluding Tigray due to data limitations and endogeneity concerns. We estimate a Difference-in-Differences model with child fixed effects to compare pre- and post-war outcomes based on proximity to conflict events. Results show that children near conflict zones were significantly less likely to attend school or plan future enrollment with effects concentrated among boys. Conflict exposure also increased child labor, particularly unpaid work for other households and state-led labor among boys. Further analysis and anecdotal evidence suggest that insecurity and state mobilization contributed to boys’ labor participation, ultimately disrupting their education

Child care · Child development · Child labour · Compulsory education · Developing country · African history and culture analysis · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research · Ureteral procedures and complications