Map of Ethiopia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 1936-41. 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. 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 Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. 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.


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Location: Eastern Africa west of Somalia

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N 38 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1,104,300 km²
Land: 1 million km²
Water: 104,300 km²
Rank: 28
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,925 km
Border countries: (6) Djibouti 342 km; Eritrea 1033 km; Kenya 867 km; Somalia 1640 km; South Sudan 1299 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
Mean elevation: 1330 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m: highest point: Ras Dejen 4,550 m

Natural resources: small reserves of gold platinum copper potash natural gas hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 36.3%
Forest: 12.2%
Other: 51.5%

Irrigated land: 2,900 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale 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: 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; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee grain sorghum and castor bean


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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: 105,350,020
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy higher infant mortality higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Rank: 12
Growth rate: 2.85% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 11
Below poverty line: 29.6% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ethiopian
Adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic groups: Oromo 34.4% Amhara (Amara) 27% Somali (Somalie) 6.2% Tigray (Tigrinya) 6.1% Sidama 4% Gurage 2.5% Welaita 2.3% Hadiya 1.7% Afar (Affar) 1.7% Gamo 1.5% Gedeo 1.3% Silte 1.3% Kefficho 1.2% other 8.8% (2007 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.)

Religions: Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5% Muslim 33.9% Protestant 18.5% traditional 2.7% Catholic 0.7% other 0.6% (2007 est.)

Demographic profile:

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.47%
15-24 years: 20.11%
25-54 years: 29.58%
55-64 years: 3.91%
65 years and over: 2.94% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 82.1
Youth dependency ratio: 75.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.3
Potential support ratio: 15.8

Median age
Total: 17.9 years
Male: 17.7 years
Female: 18.1 years
Rank: 217

Population growth rate: 2.85% (2017 est.)
Rank: 11

Birth rate: 36.5 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 14

Death rate: 7.7 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 102

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 111

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 20.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4.64% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: ADDIS ABABA (capital) 3.238 million (2015)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20 years
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 49.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 56.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 42.2 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 31

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.6 years
Male: 60.1 years
Female: 65.1 years
Rank: 196

Total fertility rate: 4.99 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 15

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 39.2% (2016)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.03 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 6.3 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 41
People living with hivaids: 710,000 (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 12
Deaths: 20,000 (2016 est.)
Deaths rank: 14

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 4.5% (2016)
Rank: 185

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 23.6% (2016)
Rank: 15

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 85

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 49.1%
Male: 57.2%
Female: 41.1%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 8 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 8 years

Youth unemployment


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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

Administrative divisions: 9 ethnically based states (kililoch singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa) Afar Amara (Amhara) Binshangul Gumuz Dire Dawa* Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples) Hareri Hizb (Harari People) Oromiya (Oromia) Sumale (Somali) Tigray Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples)

Dependent areas

Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2000 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 MULATU Teshome Wirtu
Head of government: Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn ; Deputy Prime Minister DEMEKE Mekonnen Hassen
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by both chambers of Parliament for a 6-year term ; election last held on 7 October 2013 (next to be held in October 2019); prime minister designated by the majority party following legislative elections
Election results: MULATU Teshome Wirtu elected president; Parliament vote - 659 (unanimous)

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or Yefedereshein Mikir Bete (153 seats; members indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 5-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or Yehizb Tewokayoch Mekir Bete (547 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; 22 seats reserved for minorities; all members serve 5-year terms); note - the 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
Elections: last held on 24 May 2015
Election results: House of Representatives percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - EPRDF 501 SPDP 24 BGPDUP 9 ANDP 8 GPUDM 3 APDO 1 HNL 1

Judicial branch
Highest court: Federal Supreme Court ; 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 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 ; sharia courts and customary and traditional courts

Political parties and leaders: Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP

International organization participation: ACP AfDB 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 UN Security Council (temporary) 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 GIRMA Birru Geda
In the us chancery: 3,506 International Drive NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 364-1200
In the us FAX: [1] 587-0195
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles Seattle
In the us consulate: Houston New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RAYNOR
From the us embassy: Entoto Street Addis Ababa
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 1014 Addis Ababa
From the us telephone: [251] 11 130-6,000
From the us FAX: 124-2,401 [251] 11 124 2,401

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 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 symbols: 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'
Lyrics and music: DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu
Note: adopted 1992

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 68

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 4

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 208

Gross national saving:
Rank: 10

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 70.2%
Government consumption: 9.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 39.8%
Investment in inventories: -0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 8%
Imports of goods and services: -27.8%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 37.2%
Industry: 21.3%
Services: 41.5%

Agriculture products: cereals coffee oilseed cotton sugarcane vegetables khat cut flowers; hides cattle sheep goats; fish

Industries: food processing beverages textiles leather garments chemicals metals processing cement

Industrial production growth rate: 20.6% (2016 est.)
Rank: 4

Labor force: 51.05 million (2016 est.)
Rank: 14
By occupation agriculture: 72.7%
By occupation industry: 7.4%
By occupation services: 19.9%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 179

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 29.6% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.1%
Highest 10: 25.6%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 108

Budget
Revenues: $11.16 billion
Expenditures: $13.58 billion
Surplus or deficit: -3.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 126

Taxes and other revenues: 15.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 185

Public debt:
Rank: 87

Revenue

Fiscal year: 8 July - 7 July

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 191

Central bank discount rate: NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 67

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 73

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 78

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 71

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:
Rank: 178

Exports:
Rank: 125
Commodities: coffee (27% by value) oilseeds (17%) edible vegetables including khat (17%) gold (13%) flowers (7%) live animals (7%) raw leather products (3%) meat products (3%)
Partners: US 9.7% Saudi Arabia 9.6% Germany 8.5% Switzerland 7.5% China 5.1% UAE 4.9% Pakistan 4.4% (2016)

Imports:
Rank: 81
Commodities: machinery and aircraft (14% by value) metal and metal products (14%) electrical materials (13%) petroleum products (12%) motor vehicles (10%) chemicals and fertilizers (4%)
Partners: China 28.8% US 8% India 6.7% Kuwait 5% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 107

Debt external:
Rank: 86

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 71,200,000
Access electrification total population: 24%
Access electrification urban areas: 85%
Access electrification rural areas: 10%
Production: 10.08 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 100
Consumption: 8.143 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 103
Exports: 166 million kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 77
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 147
Installed generating capacity: 2.704 million kW (2015 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 102
Generation sources fossil fuels: 7.5% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 201
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 88
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 79.5% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 14
Generation sources other renewable sources: 13.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 54

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 133
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 120
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 125
Crude oil proven reserves: 428,000 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 101

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products production rank: 141
Products consumption: 65,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 95
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products exports rank: 153
Products imports: 64,380 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products imports rank: 72

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 133
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 179
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 101
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 123
Proven reserves: 24.92 billion m³ (1 January 2017 es)
Proven reserves rank: 74

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 9.3 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 107

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.147 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1
Fixed lines rank: 87
Mobile cellular total: 51.224 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50
Mobile cellular rank: 41

Telephone system
General assessment: Ethio Telecom maintains a monopoly over telecommunication services; open-wire microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF VHF and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service
Domestic: the number of mobile telephones is increasing steadily from a small base and now stands at over 50 per 100 persons
International: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (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
Country code: .et
Users total: 15,731,741
Users percent of population: 15.4%
Users rank: 107

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 107

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no compulsory military service but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 75
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 7,074,779
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,228,738,320 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ET (2016)

Airports: 57 (2013)
Rank: 83
With paved runways total: 17
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 40
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 20
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 659 km
Standard gauge: 659 km 1.435-m gauge
Note: electric railway with redundant power supplies; under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia and managed by a Chinese contractor
Rank: 102

Roadways
Total: 110,414 km
Paved: 14,354 km
Unpaved: 96,060 km
Rank: 44

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 8
By type: cargo 8
Rank: 122

Ports and terminals: Ethiopia is landlocked and uses the ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia


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Disputes international: 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; 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; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 411,896 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers); 252,385 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers); 163,281 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers); 43,251 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2017)
IDPs: 258,000 (2016)

Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: 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