Ethiopia vs Sudan
Sudan is 71% larger than Ethiopia. Ethiopia would fit into Sudan about 1.7 times.
EthiopiaSudanEthiopia moved onto Sudan · Equal-area projection
0.59×
Ethiopia is 0.59× the area of Sudan. Put the other way, Sudan is 1.71× the size of Ethiopia.
 Ethiopia |  Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSudan: 1.71× the area | 1,104,300 km²#26 of 194 | 1,886,068 km²#15 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationEthiopia: 2.62× the population | 135,472,051#10 of 194 · 2025 | 51,662,147#30 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityEthiopia: 4.48× the density | 123 / km²#73 of 194 | 27 / km²#157 of 194 |
| Urban populationSudan: 1.45× the urban share | 24%#182 of 192 · 2025 | 35%#159 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSudan: 1.09× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 4.26 per woman#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthEthiopia: 0.17 points higher | +2.55%#24 of 192 · 2025 | +2.38%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSudan: 1.05× the birth rate | 31.5 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 | 33.0 per 1,000#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSudan: 1.07× the death rate | 5.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 | 6.3 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Sudan: 1.4 points higher | 38.8%#30 of 192 · 2025 | 40.2%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Sudan: 0.1 points higher | 3.3%#158 of 192 · 2025 | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSudan: 5.4 per 1,000 higher | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSudan: 45.1× the refugees for its size | 1.21 per 1,000#54 of 190 · 2025 | 54.60 per 1,000#7 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyEthiopia: 1.1 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySudan: 1.24× the infant mortality | 34.5 per 1,000 births#36 of 191 · 2024 | 42.9 per 1,000 births#23 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexSudan: 0.014 higher | 0.497#177 of 190 · 2023 | 0.511#173 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaEthiopia: 1.23× the income per person | $1,110#168 of 185 · 2025 | $900#173 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPEthiopia: 2.1× the economy | $126.36B2025 | $60.16B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ethiopia: 1.65× the output per person | $3,622#165 of 184 · 2025 | $2,192#175 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthEthiopia: 6.7 points higher | +9.8%#5 of 187 · 2025 | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSudan: 125.6 points higher | +13.2%#17 of 176 · 2025 | +138.8%#2 of 176 · 2022 |
| UnemploymentSudan: 2.27× the unemployment | 3.3%#127 of 178 · 2025 | 7.5%#53 of 178 · 2022 |
| Extreme poverty | 38.6%#23 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 31.1#110 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureEthiopia: 20.3 points higher | 60.1% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 39.8% of jobs#41 of 178 · 2022 |
| Jobs in industrySudan: 7.6 points higher | 6.4% of jobs#174 of 178 · 2025 | 14.0% of jobs#143 of 178 · 2022 |
| Jobs in servicesSudan: 12.8 points higher | 33.4% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | 46.2% of jobs#134 of 178 · 2022 |
| Foreign investmentEthiopia: 3.0 points higher | 3.0% of GDP#65 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsEthiopia: 12.2 points higher | 13.3% of GDP#153 of 168 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#168 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSudan: 1.9× the military spending | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#118 of 155 · 2021 |
| Internet users | 22%#171 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsSudan: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2024 | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaEthiopia: 2.0× the forest share | 24% of land#113 of 192 · 2024 | 12% of land#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSudan: 2.87× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyEthiopia: 29.6 points higher | 90.6%#7 of 190 · 2021 | 61.0%#37 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySudan: 9.4 points higher | 56.6%#167 of 192 · 2024 | 66.0%#157 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Sudan: 1.58× the air pollution | 23.8 µg/m³#63 of 191 · 2023 | 37.6 µg/m³#27 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landEthiopia: 14.2 points higher | 17.0% of land#100 of 191 · 2025 | 2.8% of land#177 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landEthiopia: 3.4 points higher | 14.6% of land#75 of 190 · 2024 | 11.2% of land#92 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSudan: 3.67× the water stress | 32.3%#52 of 176 · 2022 | 118.7%#14 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationEthiopia: 3.39× the rain and snow | 848 mm#101 of 180 · 2022 | 250 mm#158 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityEthiopia: 0.22 higher | −1.85#183 of 193 · 2025 | −2.07#187 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionEthiopia: 1.20 higher | −0.37#108 of 193 · 2025 | −1.57#188 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | BRICS | — |
| Capital | Addis Ababa | Khartoum |
| Currency | Ethiopian birr (ETB) | Sudanese pound (SDG) |
| Official languages | Amharic | English, Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +251 | +249 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Northern 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. Ethiopia sits at about 9° N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Sudan at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. 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 Ethiopia bigger than Sudan?
- No. Ethiopia is 41% smaller than Sudan. Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km² and Sudan covers 1,886,068 km².
- How many times does Ethiopia fit into Sudan?
- About 1.7 times: Sudan has 1.71× the area of Ethiopia.
- Why do Ethiopia and Sudan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ethiopia is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and Sudan about 1.08×. 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, Ethiopia or Sudan?
- Ethiopia: 135,472,051 people against 51,662,147. Density: Ethiopia 123 per km², Sudan 27 per km².
- Which is richer, Ethiopia or Sudan?
- By gross national income per person, Ethiopia: $1,110 against $900 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.23× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Sudan?
- In Ethiopia: life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years, against 66.5 — 1.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ethiopia and Sudan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Ethiopia: parliamentary republic; Sudan: presidential republic.