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 (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1,104,300 km²
Land: 1,096,570 km²
Water: 7,730 km²
Note: area numbers are approximate since a large portion of the Ethiopia-Somalia border is undefined
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
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.)
Agricultural land arable land: 15.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
Forest: 12.2% (2018 est.)
Other: 51.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,900 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km: Blue Nile river source (shared with Sudan [m]) - 1,600 km

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 810 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 51.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 9.687 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 122 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

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 : 110,871,031 (July 2021 est.)
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
Growth rate: 2.5% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 23.5% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ethiopian(s)
Adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic groups: Oromo 34.9%, Amhara (Amara) 27.9%, Tigray (Tigrinya) 7.3%, Sidama 4.1%, Welaita 3%, Gurage 2.8%, Somali (Somalie) 2.7%, Hadiya 2.2%, Afar (Affar) 0.6%, other 12.6% (2016 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 samples:

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 - more than 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.

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.81% (male 21,657,152/female 21,381,628)
15-24 years: 19.47% (male 10,506,144/female 10,542,128)
25-54 years: 32.92% (male 17,720,540/female 17,867,298)
55-64 years: 4.42% (male 2,350,606/female 2,433,319)
65 years and over: 3.38% (male 1,676,478/female 1,977,857) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 76.8
Youth dependency ratio: 70.6
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.3
Potential support ratio: 16 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.8 years
Male: 19.6 years
Female: 20.1 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.5% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 31.03 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 5.8 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 22.2% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 5.006 million ADDIS ABABA (capital) (2021)

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
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
International agreements 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.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.3 years (2019 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 20-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 401 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 34.62 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 39.56 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 29.53 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.9 years
Male: 65.79 years
Female: 70.06 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.07 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 37% (2019)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 97% of population
Improved rural: 61.7% of population
Improved total: 68.9% of population
Unimproved urban: 3% of population
Unimproved rural: 38.3% of population
Unimproved total: 31.1% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.3% (2018)

Physicians density: 0.08 physicians/1000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 0.3 beds/1000 population (2016)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 49.7% of population
Improved rural: 5.7% of population
Improved total: 14.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 50.3% of population
Unimproved rural: 94.3% of population
Unimproved total: 85.3% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.9% (2020 est.)
People living with hivaids: 620,000 (2020 est.)
Deaths: 13,000 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vector borne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Watercontactdiseases: schistosomiasis
Animalcontactdiseases: rabies
Respiratorydiseases: meningococcal meningitis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 4.5% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 21.1% (2019)

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2018)

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: 3.5%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 2.7%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 4.5% (2013 est.)

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: 10 ethnically based regional 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), Sidama, Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and 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 descentonly: 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) (2018)
Head of government: Prime Minister ABIY Ahmed Ali (since April 2018, began a new five year term on 4 October 2021); Deputy Prime Minister DEMEKE Mekonnen Hassen (since 29 November 2012) (2021)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
Elections and 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: SAHLE-WORK Zewde elected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); ABIY Ahmed confirmed Prime Minister by House of Peoples' Representatives (4 October 2021)
Note: SAHLE-WORK Zewde is the first female elected head of state in Ethiopia; she is currently the only female president in Africa. Former President Dr. Mulatu TESHOME resigned on 25 October 2018, one year ahead of finishing his six-year term.

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
House of Federation or Yefedereshein Mikir Bete (153 seats; members indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 5-year terms)
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)
Elections: House of Federation - last held 24 May 2015 (next originally scheduled on 29 August 2020 but postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
House of People's Representatives - last held on 24 May 2015 (next election to be held June 2021)
Election results: House of Federation - percent of vote by coalition/party - NA; seats by coalition/party - NA; composition - men 104, women 49, percent of women 32%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by coalition/party - NA; seats by coalition/party - EPRDF 501, SPDP 24, BGPDUP 9, ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, APDO 1, HNL 1; composition - men 335, women 212, percent of women  38.8%; note - total Parliament percent of women 37.3%
Note: 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

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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: Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [Taha AHMED]
Argoba People Democratic Organization or APDO
Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Party or BGPDUP
Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum or MEDREK or FORUM [Beyene PETROS] (includes ESD-SCUP, OFC, SLM, and UTDS)
Ethiopia Citizens for Social Justice or ECSJ Party (formed in May 2019 from 7 other parties, including Patriotic Genbot 7, Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP), All Ethiopian Democratic Party (AEDP), Semayawi Party, New Generation Party, Gambella Regional Movement (GRM), Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) Party [Berhanu Negu])
Prosperity Party or PP [ABIY Ahmed] (created in November 2019 from member parties of the former Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF, which included the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM),  Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement  (SEPDM), plus other ERPRF allies
Ethiopian Social Democracy-Southern Coalition Unity Party or ESD-SCUP
Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or GPUDM
Harari National League or HNL [Murad ABDULHADI]
Oromo Fderalist Congress or OFC
Sidama Liberaton Movement or SLM
Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP
Union of Tigraians for Democracy & Sovergnty or UTDS
Tigray People's Liberation Front or TPLF [DEBRETSION Gebremichael] (note: de-registered by Ethiopian electoral board in Jan 2021)
Tigray Independence Party [Girmay BERHE] (2020)

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, 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 FITSUM Arega Gebrekidan (since 9 April 2019)
In the us chancery: 3,506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Geeta PASI: 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 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' (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)
Lyrics and music: DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu
Note: adopted 1992

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 10.9% (2017 est.)

8% (2016 est.)

10.4% (2015 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars

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.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 34.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 21.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 43.6% (2017 est.)

Agriculture 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

Industrial production growth rate: 10.5% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 52.82 million (2017 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 72.7%
By occupation industry: 7.4%
By occupation services: 19.9% (2013 est.)

Unemployment rate: 17.5% (2012 est.)

18% (2011 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 3.5%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 2.7%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 4.5% (2013 est.)

Population below poverty line: 23.5% (2015 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 35 (2015 est.)

30 (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.1%
Highest 10: 25.6% (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $11.24 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $13.79 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 13.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 54.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

53.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 5.81% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 8 July - 7 July

Inflation rate consumer prices: 15.7% (2019 est.)

13.9% (2018 est.)

10.8% (2017 est.)

Current account balance: -$6.551 billion (2017 est.)

-$6.574 billion (2016 est.)

Exports: $7.62 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

$2.814 billion (2016 est.)
Partners: China 17%, United States 16%, United Arab Emirates 8%, Saudi Arabia 6%, South Korea 5%, Germany 5% (2019)
Commodities: coffee, sesame seeds, gold, cut flowers, zinc (2019)

Imports: $19.93 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

$14.69 billion (2016 est.)
Partners: China 27%, India 9%, United Arab Emirates 9%, France 9%, United Kingdom 7% (2019)
Commodities: aircraft, gas turbines, packaged medicines, electric filament, cars (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.013 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$3.022 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $27.27 billion (2019 est.)

$26.269 billion (2018 est.)

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 47% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 96% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 34% (2019)
Production: 11.15 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 9.062 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: 166 million kWh (2015 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 2.784 million kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 3% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 86% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves: 428,000 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption: 74,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 69,970 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 24.92 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.14 million (2018)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1.04 (2018 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 39.54 million (2018)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37.22 (2019 est.)

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: 23.96 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 18.62% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 62,950 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2017 est.)

Military expenditures: 0.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.7% of GDP (2019 est.)

0.7% of GDP (2018 est.)

0.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

0.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

Military and security forces: Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (Ye Ityopya Ayer Hayl, ETAF) (2021)

note(s) - in January 2020 the Ethiopian Government announced Appendix T

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 mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ET

Airports
Total: 57 (2013)
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 (2017)
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 (2013)

Railways
Total: 659 km (Ethiopian segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) (2017)
Standard gauge: 659 km 1.435-m gauge (2017)
Note: electric railway with redundant power supplies; under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia and managed by a Chinese contractor

Roadways
Total: 120,171 km (2018)

Merchant marine
Total: 11
By type: general cargo 9, oil tanker 2 (2020)

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

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; 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 383,084 (South Sudan), 218,022 (Somalia), 158,300 (Eritrea), 46,181 (Sudan) (2021)
IDPs: 1,990,168 (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) (2021)

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