Ethiopia

AfricaCapital city: Addis AbabaCapital metro: Addis AbabaPrime Minister: Abiy AhmedPresident: Taye Atske Selassie
2026 population
111.7M
Rank #14 globally
Area
1.1M km² (426k sq mi)
Metros tracked
21
13% of population in metros
Composite score
15.1
Rank #80 globally

population: Natl annual projection (1 Jul 2025) · indicators as of 5 Sep 2026 · 21 metros tracked

🗺️ Geography21 metros

Ethiopia metro footprint, shaded by composite tier.

Loading map…
21 polygons

Select a metro for its rank and a link to its page. Boundaries derived from Overture Maps administrative divisions; metros without source coverage are omitted.

🏙️ 21 tracked metros
21 metros
#312Addis Ababa★ Capital▲ Largest
Addis Ababa · Oromia · 4.6M · Established Metro
8.7
Dire Dawa · Oromia · 1.9M · Emerging Metro
1.1
#1422Awassa
Sidama · Oromia · 1.4M · Emerging Metro
1.0
#1607Mekelle
Tigray · 588K · Local Metro
0.7
#1940Adama
Oromia · 692K · Local Metro
0.5
#2018Gondar
Amhara · 466K · Local Metro
0.4
Amhara · 456K · Local Metro
0.4
Southern (SNNPR) · 416K · Local Metro
0.4
#2099Hossana
Southern (SNNPR) · 345K · Local Metro
0.4
#2201Adigrat
Tigray · 226K · Local Metro
0.3
Southern (SNNPR) · 201K · Local Metro
0.3
#2976Awubere
Somali · 496K · Local Metro
0.2
🗂️ Administrative subdivisions

13 entries listed under Ethiopia across 2 types. Select any to see its metros and footprint.

13 total

Chartered Cities (2)

📋 At a glance
Official language
Amharic
Currency
Bir (ETB)
Government
Federal republic
Legislature
Federal Parliamentary Assembly
Demonym
Ethiopian
Time zones
East Africa Time, UTC+03:00
Driving side
Right
Calling code
+251
Internet TLD
.et
ISO 3166
ET
Established
1995
Highest point
Ras Dashen (4,533 m (14,872 ft))
National anthem
March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia

Facts via Wikidata.

🗣️ Languages of Ethiopia

English first; 3 languages share the country; 1 official.

LanguageShareStatus
English43%None
Amharic33%Official
West Central Oromo32%None
Somali6%None
Tigrinya6%None
Sidamo3.5%None

Shares count first and second language, so they overlap and can add past 100%.

English reach
43%
Tier 3 country
Effective languages
2.5
Official-language gap
67%
Amharic is spoken by 33%

Ethiopia on the languages board · Language power

💹 Economy and developmentLow income
Human Dev. Index
#178 / 191
0.497
UNDP · 2023
GDP
#65 / 193
$126.4B
World Bank · 2025
GDP per capita
#179 / 193
$933
World Bank · 2025
GDP/capita (PPP)
#168 / 190
$3.6k
World Bank · 2025
GNI/capita (Atlas)
#172 / 192
$1.1k
World Bank · 2025
Life expectancy
#148 / 194
67.6 yrs
World Bank · 2024
Median age
18.7 yrs
UN WPP · 2023
Urban population
#184 / 194
24%
World Bank · 2025
Pop. growth
2.6%
World Bank · 2025
Pop. density
#77 / 193
114/km² (295/mi²)
World Bank · 2023
Foreign-born
#155 / 193
0.9%
World Bank · 2024
Rule of law
#122 / 175
0.32
V-Dem · 2025
Gini index
#42 / 166
31.1
World Bank · 2021
Internet users
#175 / 193
22%
World Bank · 2024
Inflation
#167 / 185
13.2%
World Bank · 2025
CO₂ per capita
★ #8 / 192
0.1 t
Global Carbon Budget · 2024
Renewable electricity
★ #2 / 186
100%
Ember · 2025

Ranks are among sovereign countries with data; ★ marks a top-5% finish. Sources: World Bank Open Data and Our World in Data (UNDP, UN WPP, V-Dem, Global Carbon Budget, Ember, Energy Institute; CC BY 4.0). Each card credits its originating body. Renewable share is of electricity generation, not of primary energy. Each figure is the most recent year available.

Alliances & Organisations4 full memberships

Political & Economic

Regional

Subregional

Full memberDashed border = Candidate / ApplicantItalic = Dialogue / Observer

🏛️ Leadership History43 leaders · click to expand

is an editorial flag: associated with atrocities against civilians, systemic subversion of the constitutional order, or a criminal conviction (political persecutions and annulled convictions excluded). It is a curated list, not a measurement, so a name without one has not been cleared of anything. Hover a badge for the reason on file. marks a monarch.

Federal Republic

Taye Atske Selassie✦ Current
President · Prosperity Party · 2024-present
2024–Present
Sahle-Work Zewde
President · Independent · 2018-2024
2018–2024
Abiy Ahmed✦ Current
Prime Minister · Prosperity Party · 2018-present
2018–Present
Mulatu Teshome
President · EPRDF / OPDO · 2013-2018
2013–2018
Hailemariam Desalegn
Prime Minister · EPRDF / SEPDM · 2012-2018
2012–2018
Girma Wolde-Giorgis
President · Independent · 2001-2013
2001–2013
Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister · EPRDF · 1995-2012
1995–2012
Negasso Gidada
President · EPRDF / OPDO · 1995-2001
1995–2001

Transitional Government

Meles Zenawi
President · EPRDF · 1991-1995
1991–1995

Derg (Military Junta)

Mengistu Haile Mariam
President · Derg / WPE · 1977-1991
1977–1991
Tafari Benti
President · Derg · 1974-1977
1974–1977
Aman Andom
President · Derg · 1974
1974–1974

Empire

Haile Selassie I
Monarch · 1930-1974
1930–1974

Ethiopian Empire

Zewditu
Monarch · 13y 6m 6d
1916–1930
Iyasu V
Monarch · 2y 9m 15d
1913–1916
Menelik II
Monarch · 24y 1m 9d
1889–1913
Yohannes IV
Monarch · 17y 9m 13d
1872–1889
Tekle Giorgis II
Monarch · 3y 7m 20d
1868–1872
Tewodros II
Monarch · 13y 3m 21d
1855–1868

Solomonic dynasty — Ethiopian Empire

Sahle Dengel
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 23y 0d
1832–1855
Iyasu IV
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 2y 0d
1830–1832
Gigar
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 9y 0d
1821–1830
Iyoas II
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 3y 0d
1818–1821
Egwale Seyon
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 17y 0d
1801–1818
Tekle Giyorgis I
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 5y 0d
1779–1784
Salomon II
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 2y 0d
1777–1779
Tekle Haymanot II
Monarch · figurehead during Zemene Mesafint · 8y 0d
1769–1777
Iyoas I
Monarch · year-level backbone · 14y 0d
1755–1769
Iyasu II
Monarch · year-level backbone · 25y 0d
1730–1755
Bakaffa
Monarch · year-level backbone · 9y 0d
1721–1730
Iyasu I
Monarch · year-level backbone · 24y 0d
1682–1706

Zagwe dynasty

Yetbarak
Monarch · year-level backbone · 9y 0d
1261–1270
Gebre Mesqel Lalibela
Monarch · year-level backbone · 40y 0d
1181–1221
Mara Takla Haymanot
Monarch · year-level backbone · 13y 0d
1137–1150
📈 Power over timeThe Power Atlas →
Today
Minor#75 · 0.1%
Latent vs recognised
Under-recognised: more mass than standing
3%5%8%10%190019502000
Power (headline share)Latent (material mass)Recognised (standing)

The power line is the headline share of world power, running from the state’s first ranked year (benchmark estimates with wide error bars before 1816). Latent power is material mass a state could mobilise (population, manpower, heavy industry). Recognised power is what the system actually treats it as (military spending, productive economy, reach, and status such as a Security Council seat or nuclear arsenal). When latent runs above recognised, a power is rising or under-rated; when recognised runs higher, it is punching above its weight or coasting on prestige. Material sub-indices run 1816 through 2016.

⚔️ Wars and conflicts13 interstate wars · click to expand
Combat deaths: 53,000–300,000
SPLA
Combat deaths: 100,000+
Ogaden War●1977–1978
Combat deaths: 39,836+
Combat deaths: 45,000+
Combat deaths: 1,000–2,000
North Korea,China,Soviet Union
Combat deaths: 2,568,927–4,096,927
Combat deaths: 20,000+
Combat deaths: 16,000+
Mahdist War●1881–1899
Combat deaths: 101,470+
Combat deaths: 8,800+
Ottoman Empire,Adal Sultanate,Ajuran Sultanate,Gujarat Sultanate
Combat deaths: —

Bold = principal belligerent. Source: Wikipedia, “List of interstate wars since 1945.” Figures marked “COW battle deaths” are Correlates of War battle-death counts, which run lower than total deaths.

👥 Population over time
Population 2023
129m
#11 in the world
Since 1800
11×
from 12.0m
Peak
2023
at its largest now
Share of world
1.6%
1.2% in 1800
34.7m69.5m104m139m18001850190019502000

Our World in Data population (CC BY): UN WPP 2024 from 1950, Gapminder v7 1800-1949, HYDE 3.3 earlier; today's borders. Figures above are as of 2023, the last year that is estimated rather than forecast. The dashed tail to 2026 is a UN WPP medium-variant projection. It is drawn because the line should reach the present, and drawn differently because it has not happened yet: no rank, peak or share on this page uses it. Before 1950 the series is reconstruction rather than contemporaneous statistics, which is worth knowing when a country’s peak sits back there. The current population shown elsewhere on this page comes from the workbook and is unchanged by this. Note that people and share of world can move in opposite directions. A country can grow steadily and still become a smaller part of humanity, which is what happened to almost every rich country after 1960.

👥 To 2100

The UN’s probabilistic projection for Ethiopia: the median with its 80% and 95% bands, the UN’s own high, low and zero-migration scenarios beside it. Not this site’s model; the site reads it and says what it implies.

Peak on the median
after 2100
still growing at 2100
2050
225m
95% band 187m to 276m
2100
367m
95% band 227m to 706m
2100 against 2025
2.71×
median still rising in 2100
185m371m556m742m1950197520002025205020752100
estimateUN median80% and 95% bandshigh and low fertilityzero migration

What drives it

Births, deaths and net migration on the UN medium path, with fertility, life expectancy and median age, every decade from 1950.

1950
799k born · 497k died · +6k net migration
TFR 6.43 · life expectancy 35.5 · median age 16.9
1960
1.0m born · 512k died · +2k net migration
TFR 6.51 · life expectancy 39.6 · median age 17.5
1970
1.4m born · 623k died · +9k net migration
TFR 6.78 · life expectancy 42.1 · median age 17.0
1980
1.8m born · 763k died · -904k net migration
TFR 7.29 · life expectancy 42.8 · median age 15.7
1990
2.4m born · 938k died · +296k net migration
TFR 7.20 · life expectancy 45.1 · median age 15.8
2000
3.1m born · 990k died · -50k net migration
TFR 6.65 · life expectancy 50.9 · median age 15.1
2010
3.3m born · 813k died · +80k net migration
TFR 5.28 · life expectancy 59.7 · median age 15.8
2020
4.0m born · 761k died · +39k net migration
TFR 4.27 · life expectancy 66.0 · median age 18.1

Every country to 2100 →

Source: United Nations, DESA, Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Estimates to 2023; projections 2024 to 2100, medium variant and probabilistic intervals. The UN revises every two years; this is the WPP 2024 revision.

🏆 National Teams

Ethiopia on the international stage. Select a card for the full record.

National Teams Champions

Every major championship won by Ethiopia's national teams, newest first. 1 in total.

1962· 1962-01-21