Ethiopia

Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

8 00 N, 38 00 E

Africa

1,104,300 sq km

1,096,570 sq km

7,730 sq km

Slightly less than twice the size of Texas

5,925 km

Djibouti 342 km; Eritrea 1,033 km; Kenya 867 km; Somalia 1,640 km; South Sudan 1,299 km; Sudan 744 km

0 km (landlocked)

None (landlocked)

Tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

High plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Ras Dejen 4,550 m

Danakil Depression -125 m

1,330 m

Small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower

34.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 14.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 1.8% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 17.7% (2023 est.)

23.7% (2023 est.)

42.2% (2023 est.)

1,814 sq km (2020)

Lake Tana - 3,600 sq km; Abaya Hayk - 1,160 sq km; Ch'amo Hayk - 550 sq km

Lake Turkana (shared with Kenya) - 6,400 sq km; Abhe Bid Hayk/Abhe Bad (shared with Djibouti) - 780 sq 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

(Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)

Ogaden-Juba Basin, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)

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

Geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (613 m) 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

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

121,372,632 (2025 est.)

60,461,406

60,911,226

Ethiopian(s)

Ethiopian

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.)

Oromo (official regional working language) 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali (official regional working language) 6.2%, Tigrigna (Tigrinya) (official regional working language) 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar (official regional working language) 1.7%, Hadiyya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Opuuo 1.2%, Kafa 1.1%, other 8.1%, English (2007 est.)

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.

Ethiopian Orthodox 43.8%, Muslim 31.3%, Protestant 22.8%, Catholic 0.7%, traditional 0.6%, other 0.8% (2016 est.)

38.7% (male 23,092,496/female 22,765,882)

58% (male 34,175,328/female 34,536,238)

3.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,794,269/female 2,186,085)

71.7 (2025 est.)

65.8 (2025 est.)

5.9 (2025 est.)

17.1 (2025 est.)

20.6 years (2025 est.)

20.2 years

20.7 years

2.34% (2025 est.)

29.08 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

23.2% of total population (2023)

4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

5.461 million ADDIS ABABA (capital) (2023)

1.03 male(s)/female

1.01 male(s)/female

0.99 male(s)/female

0.82 male(s)/female

0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

19.3 years (2019 est.)

195 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

31.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

37.4 deaths/1,000 live births

27.6 deaths/1,000 live births

67.7 years (2024 est.)

65.4 years

70 years

3.77 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.86 (2025 est.)

Urban: 83.2% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 42.2% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 51.5% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 16.8% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 57.8% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 48.5% of population (2022 est.)

3.2% of GDP (2021)

5.7% of national budget (2022 est.)

0.14 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

0.3 beds/1,000 population (2016 est.)

Urban: 50.8% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 8.2% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 17.8% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 49.2% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 91.8% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 82.2% of population (2022 est.)

4.5% (2016)

1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

4.5% (2025 est.)

7.7% (2025 est.)

1.4% (2025 est.)

21.2% (2019 est.)

66.3% (2019 est.)

14.1% (2016)

40.3% (2016)

5% (2016)

2.3% of GDP (2024 est.)

16.7% national budget (2024 est.)

60.5% (2022 est.)

71% (2022 est.)

50% (2022 est.)

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

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

34.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 14.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 1.8% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 17.7% (2023 est.)

23.7% (2023 est.)

42.2% (2023 est.)

23.2% of total population (2023)

4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

18.519 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

3.427 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

15.092 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

23.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

1,108.5 kt (2022-2024 est.)

1,948.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

356.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)

143.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)

6.533 million tons (2024 est.)

12.8% (2022 est.)

810 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

51.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

9.687 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

122 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

YeItyop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik

Ityop'iya

Abyssinia, Italian East Africa

FDRE

The country name derives from the ancient Greek word used to describe the inhabitants, aithiops, meaning "burnt appearance"

Federal parliamentary republic

Addis Ababa

9 02 N, 38 42 E

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

The name in Amharic means "new flower;" Empress TAITU gave the name to the new capital city in 1887

12 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), Hareri Hizb (Harari), Oromia, Sidama, Sumale, Tigray, YeDebub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples), YeDebub M'irab Ityop'iya Hizboch (Southwest Ethiopia Peoples), Southern Ethiopia Peoples

Civil law system

Several previous; latest drafted June 1994, adopted 8 December 1994, entered into force 21 August 1995

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

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

No

At least one parent must be a citizen of Ethiopia

No

4 years

18 years of age; universal

President TAYE Atske Selassie (since 7 October 2024)

Prime Minister ABIY Ahmed Ali (since April 2018)

Council of Ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives

President indirectly elected by both chambers of Parliament for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister designated by the majority party following legislative elections

21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021 (scheduled 29 August 2020 election was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

2021: SAHLE-WORK Zewde reelected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); ABIY confirmed Prime Minister by House of Peoples' Representatives (4 October 2021)

Bicameral

House of Peoples' Representatives (Yehizb Tewokayoch Mekir Bete)

547 (all directly elected)

Plurality/majority

Full renewal

5 years

6/21/2021 to 9/30/2021

Prosperity Party (448); Other (22)

41.9%

June 2026

House of the Federation (Yefedereshein Mekir Bete)

153 (all indirectly elected)

Full renewal

5 years

10/4/2021

29.7%

October 2026

Federal Supreme Court (consists of 11 judges)

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

Federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems (mirror structure of federal system); sharia courts and customary and traditional courts

Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice and Democracy or EZEMA Gedeo People's Democratic Party Independent Kucha People Democratic Party National Movement of Amhara or NAMA Prosperity Party or PP

Ambassador BINALF Andualem Ashenef (since 25 February 2025)

3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

[1] (202) 364-1200

[1] (202) 587-0195

Ethiopia@ethiopianembassy.org https://ethiopianembassy.org/

Los Angeles, St. Paul (MN)

Ambassador Ervin MASSINGA (since 4 October 2023)

Entoto Street, P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa

2030 Addis Ababa Place, Washington DC 20521-2030

[251] 111-30-60-00

[251] 111-24-24-01

AddisACS@state.gov https://et.usembassy.gov/

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, BRICS, COMESA, EITI, 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, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (accession candidate)

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 appeared in the first century B.C.

Derg Downfall Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)

Description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a light blue disk centered on the three bands; on the disk is a yellow pentagram with single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points meaning: green stands for hope and the land's fertility, yellow for justice and harmony, and red for sacrifice and heroism; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace, and the pentagram represents the Ethiopian people's unity and equality history: the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996

Abyssinian lion (traditional), yellow pentagram with five rays of light on a blue field (promoted by government)

Green, yellow, red

Adopted in 1996, the coat of arms features the national symbol, a pentagram; the blue circle symbolizes peace, and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the Ethiopian people

"Whedefit Gesgeshi Woud Enat Ethiopia" (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)

DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu

Adopted 1992

12 (10 cultural, 2 natural)

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (c); Simien National Park (n); Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region (c); Aksum (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); Gedeo Cultural Landscape (c); Bale Mountains National Park (n); Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia (c)

Low-income, fast-growing Horn of Africa economy; widespread poverty and food insecurity worsened by conflict and environmental factors; landlocked with tensions over seaport access; development aid supporting reforms to boost private-sector growth and financial stability; challenge of creating jobs for growing labor force

$380.895 billion (2024 est.)

$354.926 billion (2023 est.)

$332.97 billion (2022 est.)

7.3% (2024 est.)

6.6% (2023 est.)

5.3% (2022 est.)

$2,900 (2024 est.)

$2,800 (2023 est.)

$2,700 (2022 est.)

$126.773 billion (2022 est.)

21% (2024 est.)

30.2% (2023 est.)

33.9% (2022 est.)

34.9% (2024 est.)

25.4% (2024 est.)

37.6% (2024 est.)

80.2% (2024 est.)

5.5% (2024 est.)

20.5% (2024 est.)

0% (2024 est.)

5.6% (2024 est.)

-11.8% (2024 est.)

Maize, cereals, wheat, milk, sorghum, barley, taro, beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes (2023)

Food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, garments, chemicals, metals processing, cement

9.2% (2024 est.)

54.47 million (2024 est.)

3.4% (2024 est.)

3.5% (2023 est.)

3.5% (2022 est.)

5.4% (2024 est.)

4% (2024 est.)

7.2% (2024 est.)

23.5% (2015 est.)

31.1 (2021 est.)

37.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

3.1% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

3.5% (2021 est.)

24.8% (2021 est.)

0.33% of GDP (2023 est.)

0.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

$8.808 billion (2023 est.)

$12.49 billion (2023 est.)

31.4% of GDP (2019 est.)

3.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

-$4.788 billion (2023 est.)

-$5.16 billion (2022 est.)

-$4.507 billion (2021 est.)

$10.865 billion (2023 est.)

$10.971 billion (2022 est.)

$9.496 billion (2021 est.)

USA 12%, China 10%, UAE 8%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Netherlands 5% (2023)

Coffee, garments, dried legumes, cut flowers, oil seeds (2023)

$22.951 billion (2023 est.)

$24.187 billion (2022 est.)

$20.859 billion (2021 est.)

China 26%, Djibouti 16%, India 7%, Kuwait 7%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2023)

Refined petroleum, fertilizers, plastics, raw sugar, cars (2023)

$3.784 billion (2024 est.)

$2.028 billion (2023 est.)

$1.192 billion (2022 est.)

$25.426 billion (2023 est.)

Birr (ETB) per US dollar -

54.601 (2023 est.)

51.756 (2022 est.)

43.734 (2021 est.)

34.927 (2020 est.)

29.07 (2019 est.)

55% (2022 est.)

94%

43%

5.69 million kW (2023 est.)

12.298 billion kWh (2023 est.)

1.762 billion kWh (2023 est.)

4.194 billion kWh (2023 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

3.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

96.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

456,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

1.653 million metric tons (2023 est.)

1,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

1.153 million metric tons (2023 est.)

102,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

428,000 barrels (2021 est.)

24.919 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

2.366 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

766,000 (2024 est.)

(2024 est.) less than 1

85.9 million (2024 est.)

65 (2024 est.)

10 public/state broadcasters; 9 public/state radio stations; 13 commercial FM radio stations; 18 commercial TV stations; 45 community radio stations; 5 community TV stations (2023)

.et

17% (2021 est.)

566,000 (2022 est.)

(2022 est.) less than 1

ET

58 (2025)

1 (2025)

659 km (2017) (Ethiopian segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)

659 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

12 (2023)

General cargo 10, oil tanker 2

Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF; aka Federal Defense Force of Ethiopia, FDRE): Army, Air Force, Naval Force, Defense Cyber Main Directorate (2025)

0.7% of GDP (2024 est.)

1% of GDP (2023 est.)

1.7% of GDP (2022 est.)

0.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

0.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Available information varies widely; estimated 150-300,000 active-duty Defense Force (2025)

The ENDF's inventory has traditionally been comprised of Russian, Soviet, and Eastern Bloc armaments; it suffered considerable equipment losses during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict; in more recent years, Ethiopia has diversified its arms sources to include such suppliers as China, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the UAE; Ethiopia's defense industry produces small arms, as well as armored vehicles under license (2025)

18-22 years of age for voluntary military service; 24-month service obligation; no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2025)

1,500 South Sudan (UNMISS); estimated to have as many as 10,000 troops Somalia (approximately 2,500 under the AU; the remainder under a bilateral agreement with the Somali Government) (2025)

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) is focused on both external threats emanating from its neighbors and internal threats from 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), multiple insurgent groups and ethnic militias, and the al-Shabaab terrorist group; as of 2025, the ENDF was actively conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including the Amhara militia Fano and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), as well as al-Shabaab in Somalia (2025)

Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute (ESSGI; formed in 2022 from the joining of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute or ESSTI and the Ethiopian Geospatial Information Institute or EGII) (2025)

Focuses on acquiring and operating satellites, as well as conducting research; jointly builds satellites with foreign partners, and operates and exploits remote sensing (RS) satellites; developing the ability to manufacture satellites and their payloads; involved in astronomy and the construction of space observatories; works with a variety of countries, including China, France, India, Russia, and multiple African countries, particularly Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda; shares RS data with neighboring countries (2025)

2015 - established Entoto Observatory and Space Science Research Center 2019 - first remote sensing (RS) satellite (Ethiopia RS Satellite or ETRSS-1) built and launched by China 2020 - second RS satellite (ET-SMART-RSS) built with assistance from and launched by China; began construction of satellite manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing facility 2021 - established a multi-mission ground control station for RS satellites 2024 - declared second satellite ground station operational 2025 - announced plans to launch third RS satellite (ETRSS-02) in partnership with China in 2026

Al-Shabaab

1,071,881 (2024 est.)

3,134,600 (2024 est.)