Ethiopia at its true size
Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km², number 26 of 194 countries by area. Home to 135,472,051 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,104,300 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 135,472,051 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 123 per km² |
| Capital | Addis Ababa |
| Local time in Addis Ababa | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Ethiopian birr (ETB) Wikidata |
| Languages | Amharic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | BRICS |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +251 |
| Codes | ET · ETH · 231 |
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Where Ethiopia ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#10 of 194135 million people#2 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#73 of 194123 people per km²#16 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#182 of 19224% urban#51 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#26 of 1923.91 births per woman#24 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#24 of 192+2.55% a year#15 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#24 of 19231.5 births per 1,000 people#22 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#144 of 1925.9 deaths per 1,000 people#41 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#30 of 19238.8% under 15#28 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#158 of 1923.3% aged 65 and over#28 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#68 of 192+0.2 per 1,000 people#12 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#54 of 1901.21 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#22 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#168 of 185$1,110 a person#37 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#171 of 18422% online#41 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#165 of 184$3,622 a person#36 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#5 of 187+9.8% a year#2 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#17 of 176+13.2% a year#11 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#127 of 1783.3% of the labour force#37 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#23 of 14938.6% under $3.00 a day#23 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#110 of 149a Gini index of 31.1#44 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#14 of 17860.1% of jobs#13 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#174 of 1786.4% of jobs#50 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#161 of 17833.4% of jobs#40 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#65 of 1843.0% of GDP#20 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#153 of 16813.3% of GDP#43 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#144 of 1550.5% of GDP#47 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#167 of 19165 subscriptions per 100 people#42 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#174 of 1850.15 tonnes a person#45 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#113 of 19224% forest#23 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#7 of 19090.6% renewable#7 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#167 of 19256.6% with electricity#31 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#63 of 19123.8 µg/m³#29 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#100 of 19117.0% of the land protected#24 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#75 of 19014.6% of the land arable#23 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#52 of 17632.3% of its available fresh water#12 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#101 of 180848 mm a year#30 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Ethiopia’s area, lit up on the map →
- Bolivia1.01×Ethiopia and Bolivia are almost exactly the same size.
- Colombia0.97×Ethiopia is 3% smaller than Colombia.
- Mauritania1.07×Ethiopia is 7% larger than Mauritania.
- Egypt1.09×Ethiopia is 9% larger than Egypt.
- South Africa0.9×Ethiopia is 10% smaller than South Africa.
- Mali0.89×Ethiopia is 11% smaller than Mali.
How many times does Ethiopia fit into…
- Russia: about 15 times
- Canada: about 9.0 times
- United States: about 8.9 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Ethiopia shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Nile6,650 km
- Blue Nile1,783 km
- Jubba1,658 km
- Atbarah1,120 km
- Omo760 km
- Tekezé608 km
Summits
- Ras Dashen4,533 m
- Mount Batu4,307 m
- Amba Farit4,270 m
- Gugu3,626 m
- Argun3,418 m
Lakes
- Lake Turkana6,405 km²
- Lake Tana3,600 km²
- Lake Äbaya1,250 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Ethiopia. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Ethiopia
- How big is Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km², which makes it number 26 of 194 countries by area. About 135,472,051 people live there (2025), 123 per km².
- Is Ethiopia bigger than Bolivia?
- Ethiopia and Bolivia are almost exactly the same size. Ethiopia: 1,104,300 km²; Bolivia: 1,098,581 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia shares a land border with Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Eritrea, Djibouti.