Capital

Äthiopien

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

Citizenship

Äthiopien

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

Legal system

Äthiopien

civil law system

Suffrage

Äthiopien

18 years of age; universal

Area

Äthiopien

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 use

Äthiopien

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.)

Location

Äthiopien

Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Age structure

Äthiopien

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)

Birth rate

Äthiopien

30.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Äthiopien

6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Äthiopien

Oromo (official working language of Oromia Regional State) 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali (official working language of Somali Regional State) 6.2%, Tigrigna (Tigrinya) (official working language of Tigray Regional State) 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar (official working language of Afar Regional State) 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.

Life expectancy at birth

Äthiopien

total population: 67.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 64.9 years

female: 69.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Äthiopien

5.461 million ADDIS ABABA (capital) (2023)

Median age

Äthiopien

total: 20.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 20 years

female: 20.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Äthiopien

19.3 years (2019 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

Net migration rate

Äthiopien

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Äthiopien

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

Population growth rate

Äthiopien

2.4% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Äthiopien

3.92 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Äthiopien

urban population: 23.2% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Äthiopien

4.5% of GDP (2019 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Äthiopien

total: 9 years

male: 8 years

female: 8 years (2012)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Äthiopien

-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Äthiopien

7.26% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Äthiopien

56.664 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Äthiopien

23.5% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate

Äthiopien

3.69% (2021 est.)

3.24% (2020 est.)

2.33% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Äthiopien

31.45% of GDP (2019 est.)

32.53% of GDP (2018 est.)

30.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Äthiopien

26.84% (2021 est.)

20.36% (2020 est.)

15.81% (2019 est.)

Exports

Äthiopien

$9.496 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$7.715 billion (2020 est.)

$7.588 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Äthiopien

China 17%, United States 16%, United Arab Emirates 8%, Saudi Arabia 6%, South Korea 5%, Germany 5% (2019)

Imports

Äthiopien

$20.859 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$17.17 billion (2020 est.)

$19.227 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Äthiopien

China 27%, India 9%, United Arab Emirates 9%, France 9%, United Kingdom 7% (2019)

Airports

Äthiopien

57 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Äthiopien

total: 212,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Äthiopien

total: 20.4 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 17% (2021 est.)

Railways

Äthiopien

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

Roadways

Äthiopien

total: 120,171 km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Äthiopien

total subscriptions: 890,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

Äthiopien

total subscriptions: 65 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 54 (2021 est.)

Disputes - international

Äthiopien

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: the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden (populated largely by ethnic Somalis) and southern Somalia's Oromo region; the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab has conducted cross-border assaults into Ethiopia as recently as 2022

Ethiopia-South Sudan: 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

Ethiopia-Sudan: Ethiopia's construction of a large dam (the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) on the Blue Nile in northern Ethiopia since 2011 has become a focal point of relations with Egypt and Sudan; Egypt has described the giant hydroelectric project as an existential threat because of its potential to control the flow of the river that is a key source of water for the country; Ethiopia completed filling the dam in 2023