Ethiopia
Introduction
Background
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995.
A border war with Eritrea in the late 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia did not accept them and maintained troops in previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. This intransigence resulted in years of heightened tension between the two countries. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades. Following a wave of popular dissent and anti-government protest that began in 2015, HAILEMARIAM resigned in February 2018 and ABIY Ahmed Ali took office in April 2018 as Ethiopia's first ethnic Oromo prime minister. In June 2018, ABIY announced Ethiopia would accept the border ruling of 2000, prompting rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea that was marked with a peace agreement in July 2018 and a reopening of the border in September 2018. In November 2019, Ethiopia's nearly 30-year ethnic-based ruling coalition - the EPRDF - merged into a single unity party called the Prosperity Party, however, one of the four constituent parties (the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front or TPLF) refused to join.In November 2020, a military conflict erupted between forces aligned with the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia’s national military, the Ethiopian National Defense Force. The conflict, which has continued into 2022, has exacerbated ethnic violence and has largely centered in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regional states.
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Geography
Location
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates
8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
total: 1,104,300 sq km
land: 1,096,570 sq km
water: 7,730 sq km
note: area numbers are approximate since a large portion of the Ethiopia-Somalia border is undefined
Land boundaries
total: 5,925 km
border countries (6): Djibouti 342 km; Eritrea 1,033 km; Kenya 867 km; Somalia 1,640 km; South Sudan 1,299 km; Sudan 744 km
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Climate
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,550 m
lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m
mean elevation: 1,330 m
Natural resources
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Land use
agricultural land: 36.3% (2018 est.)
arable land: 15.2% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
forest: 12.2% (2018 est.)
other: 51.5% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land
1,813 sq km (2020)
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s): Lake Tana - 3,600 sq km; Abaya Hayk - 1,160 sq km; Ch'amo Hayk - 550 sq km
salt water lake(s): Lake Turkana (shared with Kenya) - 6,400 sq km; Abhe Bid Hayk/Abhe Bad (shared with Djibouti) - 780 sq km;
Major rivers (by length in km)
Blue Nile river source (shared with Sudan [m]) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Major aquifers
Ogaden-Juba Basin, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Population distribution
highest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map
Natural hazards
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (613 m), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, forcing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir
Geography - note
note 1: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; Ethiopia is, therefore, the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia
note 2: three major crops may have originated in Ethiopia: coffee (almost certainly), grain sorghum, and castor bean
People and Society
Nationality
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic groups
Oromo 35.8%, Amhara 24.1%, Somali 7.2%, Tigray 5.7%, Sidama 4.1%, Guragie 2.6%, Welaita 2.3%, Afar 2.2%, Silte 1.3%, Kefficho 1.2%, other 13.5% (2022 est.)
Languages
Oromo (official working language in the State of Oromiya) 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali (official working language of the State of Sumale) 6.2%, Tigrigna (Tigrinya) (official working language of the State of Tigray) 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar (official working language of the State of Afar) 1.7%, Hadiyya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Opuuo 1.2%, Kafa 1.1%, other 8.1%, English (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic (2007 est.)
major-language sample(s):
Kitaaba Addunyaa Waan Qabataamaatiif - Kan Madda Odeeffannoo bu’uraawaatiif baay’ee barbaachisaa ta’e. (Oromo)
የአለም እውነታ መጽሐፍ፣ ለመሠረታዊ መረጃ እጅግ አስፈላጊ የሆነ ምንጭ። (Amharic)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Ethiopian Orthodox 43.8%, Muslim 31.3%, Protestant 22.8%, Catholic 0.7%, traditional 0.6%, other 0.8% (2016 est.)
Demographic profile
Ethiopia is a predominantly agricultural country – nearly 80% of the population lives in rural areas – that is in the early stages of demographic transition. Infant, child, and maternal mortality have fallen sharply over the past decade, but the total fertility rate has declined more slowly and the population continues to grow. The rising age of marriage and the increasing proportion of women remaining single have contributed to fertility reduction. While the use of modern contraceptive methods among married women has increased significantly from 6 percent in 2000 to 27 percent in 2012, the overall rate is still quite low.
Ethiopia’s rapid population growth is putting increasing pressure on land resources, expanding environmental degradation, and raising vulnerability to food shortages. With about 40 percent of the population below the age of 15 and a fertility rate of 4 children per woman (and even higher in rural areas), Ethiopia will have to make further progress in meeting its family planning needs if it is to achieve the age structure necessary for reaping a demographic dividend in the coming decades.
Poverty, drought, political repression, and forced government resettlement have driven Ethiopia’s internal and external migration since the 1960s. Before the 1974 revolution, only small numbers of the Ethiopian elite went abroad to study and then returned home, but under the brutal Derg regime thousands fled the country, primarily as refugees. Between 1982 and 1991 there was a new wave of migration to the West for family reunification. Since the defeat of the Derg in 1991, Ethiopians have migrated to escape violence among some of the country’s myriad ethnic groups or to pursue economic opportunities. Internal and international trafficking of women and children for domestic work and prostitution is a growing problem.
Age structure
0-14 years: 38.91% (male 22,821,026/female 22,498,331)
15-64 years: 57.55% (male 33,345,764/female 33,672,933)
65 years and over: 3.54% (2023 est.) (male 1,887,831/female 2,236,827)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 75.7
youth dependency ratio: 70.2
elderly dependency ratio: 5.5
potential support ratio: 18.1 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 19.8 years
male: 19.6 years
female: 20.1 years (2020 est.)
Population distribution
highest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
urban population: 23.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
5.461 million ADDIS ABABA (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.3 years (2019 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49
Maternal mortality ratio
267 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32Infant mortality rate
total: 32.44 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 37.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 68.59 years
male: 66.43 years
female: 70.81 years (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.93 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
37.7% (2020)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 98.5% of population
rural: 70.2% of population
total: 76.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population
rural: 29.8% of population
total: 23.6% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
3.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density
0.3 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 52.5% of population
rural: 8.1% of population
total: 17.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 47.5% of population
rural: 91.9% of population
total: 82.3% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
animal contact diseases: rabies
respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis
note: on 22 March 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Ethiopia is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 5.1% (2020 est.)
male: 8.8% (2020 est.)
female: 1.3% (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
67.5% (2023 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 14.1%
women married by age 18: 40.3%
men married by age 18: 5% (2016 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.8%
male: 57.2%
female: 44.4% (2017)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 9 years
male: 8 years
female: 8 years (2012)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 5.7%
male: 4.4%
female: 7.2% (2021 est.)
Environment
Environment - current issues
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; loss of biodiversity; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management; industrial pollution and pesticides contribute to air, water, and soil pollution
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Air pollutants
particulate matter emissions: 34.36 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 14.87 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 114.21 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Land use
agricultural land: 36.3% (2018 est.)
arable land: 15.2% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
forest: 12.2% (2018 est.)
other: 51.5% (2018 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 23.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Food insecurity
widespread lack of access: due to conflict in Tigray Region, drought conditions in southeastern areas, high food prices - The difficult and worsening food security situation is the result of multiple shocks affecting food availability and access including: the conflict in northern Tigray Region and in adjacent areas of Amhara and Afar regions, which began in November 2020; in Tigray region alone, 5.3 million people are estimated to be severely food insecure; the failure of the March‑May 2022 “Gu‑Genna” rains in southern pastoral areas of southern Oromiya Region and southern Somali Region, exacerbated drought conditions prevailing since late 2020, causing severe crop and livestock losses; severe macroeconomic challenges including insufficient foreign currency reserves and the continuous depreciation of the national currency, as a result, inflation is at very high levels, with the year‑on‑year food inflation rate estimated at 35.5 percent in July, one the highest of the last decade; these difficulties are exacerbated by the ripple effects of the Ukraine war, which triggered hikes in international prices of wheat, fuel, and fertilizers (2023)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 6,532,787 tons (2015 est.)
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s): Lake Tana - 3,600 sq km; Abaya Hayk - 1,160 sq km; Ch'amo Hayk - 550 sq km
salt water lake(s): Lake Turkana (shared with Kenya) - 6,400 sq km; Abhe Bid Hayk/Abhe Bad (shared with Djibouti) - 780 sq km;
Major rivers (by length in km)
Blue Nile river source (shared with Sudan [m]) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Major aquifers
Ogaden-Juba Basin, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 810 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 9.69 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources
122 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
abbreviation: FDRE
etymology: the country name derives from the Greek word "Aethiopia," which in classical times referred to lands south of Egypt in the Upper Nile region
Government type
federal parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name in Amharic means "new flower" and was bestowed on the city in 1889, three years after its founding
Administrative divisions
11 ethnically based regional states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 chartered cities* (astedader akabibiwach, singular - astedader akabibi); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sidama, Sumale (Somali), Tigray, YeDebub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples), YeDebub M'irab Ityop'iya Hizboch (Southwest Ethiopia Peoples)
Independence
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years (may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first century B.C.)
National holiday
Derg Downfall Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution
history: several previous; latest drafted June 1994, adopted 8 December 1994, entered into force 21 August 1995
amendments: proposals submitted for discussion require two-thirds majority approval in either house of Parliament or majority approval of one-third of the State Councils; passage of amendments other than constitutional articles on fundamental rights and freedoms and the initiation and amendment of the constitution requires two-thirds majority vote in a joint session of Parliament and majority vote by two thirds of the State Councils; passage of amendments affecting rights and freedoms and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote in each house of Parliament and majority vote by all the State Councils
Legal system
civil law system
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ethiopia
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President SAHLE-WORK Zewde (since 25 October 2018)
head of government: Prime Minister ABIY Ahmed Ali (since April 2018); Deputy Prime Minister DEMEKE Mekonnen Hassen (since 29 November 2012)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by both chambers of Parliament for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); election held on 21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021 (the scheduled 29 August 2020 election was postponed by Prime Minister ABIY due to the COVID-19 pandemic); prime minister designated by the majority party following legislative elections
election results: 2021: SAHLE-WORK elected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); ABIY confirmed Prime Minister by House of Peoples' Representatives (4 October 2021)
2018: SAHLE-WORK elected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); note - snap election held on 25 October 2018 due to resignation of President MULATA Teshome
note: SAHLE-WORK Zewde is the first female elected head of state in Ethiopia; she is currently the only female president in Africa.
Legislative branch
description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
House of Federation or Yefedereshein Mikir Bete (153 seats maximum; 144 seats current; members indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 5-year terms)
House of People's Representatives or Yehizb Tewokayoch Mekir Bete (547 seats maximum; 470 seats current; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; 22 seats reserved for minorities; all members serve 5-year terms)
elections: House of Federation - last held 4 October 2021 (next expected 31 October 2026)
House of People's Representatives - last held in two parts on 21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021 (next election expected 30 June 2026)
election results: House of Federation - percent of vote by coalition/party - NA; seats by coalition/party - NA; composition - men 100, women 44, percent of women 30.6%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by coalition/party - NA; seats by coalition/party - Prosperity Party 454, NAMA 5, EZEMA 4, Gedeo People's Democratic organization 2, Kucha People Democratic Party 1, independent 4; composition - men 275, women 195, percent of women 41.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 38.9%
notes: House of Federation is responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues and the House of People's Representatives is responsible for passing legislation; percent of vote percentages are calculated on the number of members actually seated versus on the constitutional maximums
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court (consists of 11 judges); note - the House of Federation has jurisdiction for all constitutional issues
judge selection and term of office: president and vice president of Federal Supreme Court recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; other Supreme Court judges nominated by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council (a 10-member body chaired by the president of the Federal Supreme Court) and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; judges serve until retirement at age 60
subordinate courts: federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems (mirror structure of federal system); sharia courts and customary and traditional courts
Political parties and leaders
House of People's Representatives:
Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice and Democracy or EZEMA [BERHANU Nega]
Gedeo People's Democratic Party
Independent [n/a]
Kucha People Democratic Party
National Movement of Amhara or NAMA [BELETE Molla]
Prosperity Party or PP [ABIY Ahmed Ali]
note: Ethiopia has over fifty national-level and regional-level political parties. The ruling party, the Prosperity Party, was created by Prime Minister ABIY in November 2019 from member parties of the former Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which included the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM), plus other EPRDF-allied parties such as the Afar National Democratic Party (ANDP), Benishangul Gumuz People’s Democratic Party (BGPDP), Gambella People’s Democratic Movement (GPDM), Somali People’s Democratic Party (SPDP), and the Harari National League (HNL). Once the Prosperity Party was created, the various ethnically-based parties that comprised or were affiliated with the EPRDF were subsequently disbanded; in January 2021, the Ethiopian electoral board de-registered the Tigray People’s Liberation Front or TPLF; national level parties are qualified to register candidates in multiple regions across Ethiopia; regional parties can register candidates for both national and regional parliaments, but only in one region of Ethiopia
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, COMESA, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador SELESHI Bekele Awulachew (since 7 June 2022)
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195
email address and website:
ethiopia@ethiopianembassy.org
https://ethiopianembassy.org/
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON (since 25 February 2022)
embassy: Entoto Street, P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
mailing address: 2030 Addis Ababa Place, Washington DC 20521-2030
telephone: [251] 111-30-60-00
FAX: [251] 111-24-24-01
email address and website:
AddisACS@state.gov
https://et.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia
note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag (adopted ca. 1895) were so often appropriated by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996
National symbol(s)
Abyssinian lion (traditional), yellow pentagram with five rays of light on a blue field (promoted by current government); national colors: green, yellow, red
National anthem
name: "Whedefit Gesgeshi Woud Enat Ethiopia" (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)
lyrics/music: DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu
note: adopted 1992
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 9 (8 cultural, 1 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (c); Simien National Park (n); Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region (c); Axum (c); Lower Valley of the Awash (c); Lower Valley of the Omo (c); Tiya (c); Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town (c); Konso Cultural Landscape (c)
Economy
Economic overview
growing Horn of Africa construction- and services-based economy; port access via Djibouti and Eritrea; widespread but declining poverty; COVID-19, locust invasion, and Tigray crisis disruptions; public investment increases; second largest African labor force
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$278.945 billion (2021 est.)
$264.059 billion (2020 est.)
$248.972 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real GDP growth rate
5.64% (2021 est.)
6.06% (2020 est.)
8.36% (2019 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$2,300 (2021 est.)
$2,300 (2020 est.)
$2,200 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$92.154 billion (2019 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
26.84% (2021 est.)
20.36% (2020 est.)
15.81% (2019 est.)
Credit ratings
Fitch rating: B (2014)
Moody's rating: B2 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: B (2014)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 34.8% (2017 est.)
industry: 21.6% (2017 est.)
services: 43.6% (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption: 69.6% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 10% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 43.5% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 8.1% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -31.2% (2017 est.)
Agricultural products
maize, cereals, wheat, sorghum, milk, barley, sweet potatoes, roots/tubers nes, sugar cane, millet
Industries
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, garments, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 72.7%
industry: 7.4%
services: 19.9% (2013 est.)
Unemployment rate
3.69% (2021 est.)
3.24% (2020 est.)
2.33% (2019 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 5.7%
male: 4.4%
female: 7.2% (2021 est.)
Population below poverty line
23.5% (2015 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
35 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100Average household expenditures
on food: 56.6% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 3.8% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2005)
Budget
revenues: $11.308 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $13.979 billion (2020 est.)
Public debt
31.45% of GDP (2019 est.)
32.53% of GDP (2018 est.)
30.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
Fiscal year
8 July - 7 July
Current account balance
-$4.507 billion (2021 est.)
-$2.719 billion (2020 est.)
-$5.025 billion (2019 est.)
Exports
$9.496 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$7.715 billion (2020 est.)
$7.588 billion (2019 est.)
Exports - partners
China 17%, United States 16%, United Arab Emirates 8%, Saudi Arabia 6%, South Korea 5%, Germany 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities
coffee, gold, sesame seeds, vegetables, cut flowers, aircraft parts (2021)
Imports
$20.859 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$17.17 billion (2020 est.)
$19.227 billion (2019 est.)
Imports - partners
China 27%, India 9%, United Arab Emirates 9%, France 9%, United Kingdom 7% (2019)
Imports - commodities
aircraft, gas turbines, packaged medicines, electric filament, cars (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$3.046 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$2.993 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$3.987 billion (31 December 2018 est.)
Debt - external
$27.27 billion (2019 est.)
$26.269 billion (2018 est.)
Exchange rates
birr (ETB) per US dollar -
43.734 (2021 est.)
34.927 (2020 est.)
29.07 (2019 est.)
27.429 (2018 est.)
23.866 (2017 est.)
Energy
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 47% (2019)
electrification - urban areas: 96% (2019)
electrification - rural areas: 34% (2019)
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 4.856 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 9,778,100,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 1 billion kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 3.374 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 3.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 95.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 689,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 528,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 107,900 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 400,000 barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 24.919 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
16.798 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 1.474 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 15.324 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
3.219 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions: 890,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 65 million (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 54 (2021 est.)
Telecommunication systems
general assessment: has been one of the last in Africa to allow its national telco a monopoly on all telecom services including fixed, mobile, internet and data communications; this has stifled innovation, restricted network expansion, and limited the scope of services on offer; the World Bank in early 2021 provided a $200 million loan to help develop the country’s digital transformation, while the government has embarked on its 2020-2030 program as well as its Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy, both aimed at making better use of digital technologies to promote socioeconomic development (2021)
domestic: fixed-line subscriptions less than 1 per 100 while mobile-cellular stands at a little over 54 per 100 people (2021)
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) (2016)
Broadcast media
6 public TV stations broadcasting nationally and 10 public radio broadcasters; 7 private radio stations and 19 community radio stations (2017)
Internet users
total: 20.4 million (2021 est.)
percent of population: 17% (2021 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 212,000 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)
Transportation
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 75
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 11,501,244 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 2,089,280,000 (2018) mt-km
Airports - with paved runways
17
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
40
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Railways
total: 659 km (2017) (Ethiopian segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
standard gauge: 659 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge
note: electric railway with redundant power supplies; under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia and managed by a Chinese contractor
Merchant marine
total: 12
by type: general cargo 10, oil tanker 2 (2022)
Ports and terminals
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses the ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia
Military and Security
Military and security forces
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (Ye Ityopya Ayer Hayl, ETAF); Ministry of Peace: Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) (2023)
note 1: in 2020 the Ethiopian Government announced it had re-established a navy, which had been disbanded in 1996; in March 2019, Ethiopia signed a defense cooperation agreement with France which stipulated that France would support the establishment of an Ethiopian navy, which would reportedly be based out of Djibouti
note 2: in 2018, Ethiopia established a Republican Guard military unit responsible to the Prime Minister for protecting senior officials
note 3: the regional governments control regional security forces, including "special" paramilitary forces, which generally operate independently from the federal government and in some cases operate as regional defense forces maintaining national borders; local militias also operate across the country in loose and varying coordination with these regional security and police forces, the ENDF, and the EFP; in April 2023, the federal government ordered the integration of these regional special forces into the EFP or ENDF
Military expenditures
1.7% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2019 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths
information varies; prior to the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict, approximately 150,000 active-duty troops, including about 3,000 Air Force personnel (no personnel numbers available for the re-established Navy) (2022)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the ENDF's inventory is comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-era equipment; in recent years, the ENDF has received arms from a variety of countries, including China, Israel, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates; Ethiopia has a modest industrial defense base centered on small arms and production of armored vehicles (2023)
Military service age and obligation
18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (although the military may, when necessary, recruit a person more than 22 years old); no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2023)
note: during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict, the Ethiopian Government issued a nationwide state of emergency that enabled officials to order military-age citizens to undergo training and accept military duty; the order also recalled retired military officers to active duty
Military deployments
5-8,000 Somalia (approximately 4,000 for ATMIS; the remainder under a bilateral agreement with Somalia; note - bilateral figures are prior to the 2020-22 conflict with Tigray); 250 Sudan (UNISFA); 1,450 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2022)
Military - note
the ENDF is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, most experienced, and best equipped militaries; the Ground Forces are estimated to have more than 20 infantry divisions, including several that are mechanized, along with at least 1 division of commandos/special forces; the Air Force has combat squadrons of multipurpose fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and armed unmanned aerial vehicles; ENDF operations are often supported by sizeable regional state paramilitary units
the ENDF is focused on both external threats emanating from its neighbors and against multiple internal armed groups; since 1998, the ENDF has engaged in several conventional and counterinsurgency operations, including border wars with Eritrea (1998-2000) and Somalia (2006-2008) and internal conflicts with the Tigray regional state (2020-2022), several insurgent groups and ethnic militias (aka Fano), and the al-Shabaab terrorist group; the ENDF is currently conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including in Oromya (Oromia) against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA; aka Shene), an insurgent group that claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group; in 2022, militants from the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group launched an incursion into Ethiopia's Somali (Sumale) region, attacking villages and security forces; the Ethiopian Government claimed that regional security forces killed hundreds of Shabaab fighters and subsequently deployed additional ENDF troops into Somalia’s Gedo region to prevent further incursions
from November of 2020 until a cease-fire was negotiated in November 2022, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) engaged in a military conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former governing party of the Tigray Region; the GoE deemed a TPLF attack on an ENDF base as a domestic terrorism incident and launched a military offensive in response; the TPLF asserted that its actions were self-defense in the face of planned GoE action to remove it from the provincial government; the GoE sent large elements of the ENDF into Tigray to remove the TPLF and invited militia and paramilitary forces from the states of Afar and Amara, as well as the military forces of Eritrea, to assist; TPLF military forces were known as the Tigray Defense Force (TDF) and were comprised of state paramilitary forces, local militia, and troops that defected from the ENDF; the fighting included heavy civilian and military casualties with widespread abuses reported (2023)
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s)
al-Shabaab; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force
note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
Ethiopia-Eritrea: Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement
Ethiopia-Somalia: While border clashes continue in the al-Fashqa (Fashaga) area, the US views the 1902 boundary treaty between Ethiopia and Sudan as being in force; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia;
Ethiopia-Sudan: Ethiopia's construction of a large dam (the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) on the Blue Nile since 2011 has become a focal point of relations with Egypt and Sudan; as of 2020, four years of three-way talks between the three capitals over operating the dam and filling its reservoir had made little progress; Ethiopia began filling the dam in July 2020; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 414,905 (South Sudan), 253,616 (Somalia), 164,271 (Eritrea), 48,964 (Sudan) (2023)
IDPs: 2.73 million (includes conflict- and climate-induced IDPs, excluding unverified estimates from the Amhara region; border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000; ethnic clashes; and ongoing fighting between the Ethiopian military and separatist rebel groups in the Somali and Oromia regions; natural disasters; intercommunal violence; most IDPs live in Sumale state) (2023)
Trafficking in persons
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Ethiopia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; efforts included prosecuting more potential trafficking crimes, convicting more traffickers, increasing training for law enforcement officials, drafting regulations to create a victim protection fund, and conducting awareness campaigns at the federal and regional levels; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous year to improve its anti-trafficking capacity; corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns; protection services for victims remained limited and the government continued to rely on civil society organizations to provide most victim services without financial support; officials continued to focus mostly on transnational trafficking rather than on internal trafficking crimes, including domestic servitude and child sex trafficking; many officials continued to conflate human trafficking and migrant smuggling; government efforts to protect Ethiopian trafficking victims abroad remained minimal, and protection services for returning victims were inadequate; therefore, Ethiopia remained on the Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2022)
trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Ethiopia, as well as Ethiopians abroad; girls from rural areas are exploited in domestic servitude and sex trafficking within the country and boys in forced labor in weaving, construction, agriculture, forced begging, and street vending; girls are exploited by brothel owners in Addis Ababa; traffickers fraudulently recruit vulnerable populations and exploit them in forced labor; several million internally displaced persons are vulnerable to trafficking; nearly 60,000 Ethiopians fleeing conflict in northern regions to seek asylum in Sudan and other neighboring countries are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking; international organizations report armed actors, including Eritrean forces, regional forces, Ethiopian National Defense Force, and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front have committed human rights abuses and gender-based violence against women and girls in Tigray, including potential trafficking crimes; Ethiopian girls are exploited in domestic servitude and sex trafficking in neighboring countries, particularly Djibouti and Sudan; Ethiopian boys face forced labor or criminal activity in Djibouti; Ethiopian women and children are exploited in forced begging in Saudi Arabia, and some women suffer forced labor in Romania’s hotel industry; Ethiopia hosts more than 840,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea, who are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking; Cuban medical professionals in Ethiopia may have been forced to work by the Cuban government (2022)
Illicit drugs
transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center