Bolivia vs Ethiopia
Ethiopia and Bolivia are almost exactly the same size.
BoliviaEthiopiaBolivia moved onto Ethiopia · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Bolivia is 0.99× the area of Ethiopia. Put the other way, Ethiopia is 1.01× the size of Bolivia.
 Bolivia |  Ethiopia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 1,098,581 km²#27 of 194 | 1,104,300 km²#26 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationEthiopia: 10.8× the population | 12,581,843#79 of 194 · 2025 | 135,472,051#10 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityEthiopia: 10.7× the density | 11 / km²#180 of 194 | 123 / km²#73 of 194 |
| Urban populationBolivia: 2.97× the urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 24%#182 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateEthiopia: 1.55× the births per woman | 2.52 per woman#72 of 192 · 2024 | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthEthiopia: 1.20 points higher | +1.35%#73 of 192 · 2025 | +2.55%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateEthiopia: 1.5× the birth rate | 21.0 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 31.5 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBolivia: 1.22× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 5.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Ethiopia: 9.4 points higher | 29.4%#72 of 192 · 2025 | 38.8%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bolivia: 2.4 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 3.3%#158 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationEthiopia: 0.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadEthiopia: 20.2× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 1.21 per 1,000#54 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBolivia: 1.1 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityEthiopia: 2.43× the infant mortality | 14.2 per 1,000 births#88 of 191 · 2024 | 34.5 per 1,000 births#36 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBolivia: 9.14× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2021 | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBolivia: 0.236 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.497#177 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBolivia: 3.98× the income per person | $4,420#119 of 185 · 2025 | $1,110#168 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPEthiopia: 1.95× the economy | $64.77B2025 | $126.36B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bolivia: 3.55× the output per person | $12,873#116 of 184 · 2025 | $3,622#165 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthEthiopia: 11.4 points higher | −1.6%#181 of 187 · 2025 | +9.8%#5 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBolivia: 6.3 points higher | +19.5%#12 of 176 · 2025 | +13.2%#17 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentEthiopia: 1.1× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 3.3%#127 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyEthiopia: 18.4× the share in extreme poverty | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 | 38.6%#23 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bolivia: 9.8 higher | 40.9#32 of 149 · 2024 | 31.1#110 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureEthiopia: 35.4 points higher | 24.7% of jobs#74 of 178 · 2025 | 60.1% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBolivia: 13.4 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 | 6.4% of jobs#174 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBolivia: 22.1 points higher | 55.5% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 33.4% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentEthiopia: 2.2 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 3.0% of GDP#65 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBolivia: 8.1 points higher | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2024 | 13.3% of GDP#153 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBolivia: 2.47× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#103 of 155 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBolivia: 3.64× the share online | 80%#99 of 184 · 2024 | 22%#171 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBolivia: 1.51× the mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2024 | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBolivia: 2.11× the forest share | 50% of land#49 of 192 · 2024 | 24% of land#113 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBolivia: 15.3× the CO₂ per person | 2.29 t a year#98 of 185 · 2024 | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyEthiopia: 77.8 points higher | 12.8%#127 of 190 · 2021 | 90.6%#7 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBolivia: 40.0 points higher | 96.6%#123 of 192 · 2024 | 56.6%#167 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bolivia: 1.18× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 23.8 µg/m³#63 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBolivia: 13.9 points higher | 30.9% of land#30 of 191 · 2025 | 17.0% of land#100 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landEthiopia: 9.0 points higher | 5.6% of land#125 of 190 · 2024 | 14.6% of land#75 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressEthiopia: 161× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 32.3%#52 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBolivia: 1.35× the rain and snow | 1,146 mm#81 of 180 · 2022 | 848 mm#101 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBolivia: 1.69 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −1.85#183 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionEthiopia: 0.82 higher | −1.19#165 of 193 · 2025 | −0.37#108 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 4.4 per 100,000#53 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | BRICS |
| Capital | La Paz | Addis Ababa |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) | Ethiopian birr (ETB) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Aymara | Amharic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +591 | +251 |
| Region | South America | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bolivia sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.09× its true area; Ethiopia at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bolivia bigger than Ethiopia?
- No. Bolivia and Ethiopia are almost exactly the same size. Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km² and Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km².
- How many times does Bolivia fit into Ethiopia?
- About 1.0 times: Ethiopia has 1.01× the area of Bolivia.
- Why do Bolivia and Ethiopia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bolivia is drawn about 1.09× its true area there and Ethiopia about 1.02×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bolivia or Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia: 135,472,051 people against 12,581,843. Density: Bolivia 11 per km², Ethiopia 123 per km².
- Which is richer, Bolivia or Ethiopia?
- By gross national income per person, Bolivia: $4,420 against $1,110 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.98× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bolivia or Ethiopia?
- In Bolivia: life expectancy at birth is 68.7 years, against 67.6 — 1.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bolivia and Ethiopia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bolivia: presidential republic; Ethiopia: parliamentary republic.