country profile

Country Profile Ethiopia

Ethiopia
Capital City, Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa Weather

68.77 Billion
GDP in USD
85,237,338
Population
1,104,300
Area in km2
ET / 251
Country/Dial Code

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. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.

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. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.

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
 

Government type:

federal 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)
 

Administrative divisions:

9 ethnically based 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), 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:

National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
 

Constitution:

several previous; latest drafted June 1994, adopted 8 December 1994, entered into force 21 August 1995 (2013)
 

Legal system:

civil law system
 

International law organization participation:

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
 

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal
 

Executive branch:

chief of state: President MULATU Teshome Wirtu (since 7 October 2013)
head of government: Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn (since 21 September 2012); Deputy Prime Ministers ASTER Mamo, DEBRETSION Gebre-Michael, DEMEKE Mekonnen Hassen; note - prior to his approval as prime minister, HAILEMARIAM had been acting prime minister due to the death of former Prime Minister MELES
cabinet: Council of Ministers - ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window)
elections: president elected by both chambers of Parliament for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 October 2013 (next to be held in October 2019); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections
election results: MULATU Teshome Wirtu elected president by acclamation
 

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 23 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 499, SPDP 24, BGPDP 9, ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, HNL 1, FORUM 1, APDO 1, independent 1
 

Judicial branch:

highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court or Supreme Imperial Court (consists of 11 judges)
note - the Federal Supreme Court has jurisdiction for all constitutional issues
judge selection and term of office: president and vice president of Federal Supreme Court nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; other Supreme Court judges nominated by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council 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 [Mohammed KEDIR]
All Ethiopian Unity Organization or AEUO [Hailu SHAWEL]
Arena Tigray [GEBRU Asrat]
Argoba People's Democratic Organization or APDO [Abdulkader MOHAMMED]
Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Party or BGPDP [Mulualem BESSE]
Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamiso]
Ethiopian Democratic Party or EDP [MUSHE Semu]
Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum or FORUM (a UDJ-led 6-party alliance established for the 2010 parliamentary elections) [Dr. Moga FRISSA]
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF (including the following organizations: Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM; Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO; Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement or SEPDM; and Tigray People's Liberation Front or TPLF)
Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or GPUDM
Gurage Peoples Democratic Front [GIRMA Bogale]
Harari National League or HNL [YASIN Husein]
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM
Oromo People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]
Somali Democratic Alliance Forces or SODAF [BUH Hussien]
Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP [Abdulfetah Sheck ABDULAHI]
South Ethiopian People's Democratic Union or SEPDU [TILAHUN Endeshaw]
United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]
Unity for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Dr. NEGASSO Gidada]
 

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF
Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF
Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
 

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, 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 GIRMA Birru (since 6 January 2011)
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
 

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia Marie HASLACH (since 14 August 2013)
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: 130-6000
FAX: 124-2401
 

Flag description:

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 adopted 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 symbol(s):

Abyssinian lion
 

National anthem:

name: 'Whedefit Gesgeshi Woud Enat Ethiopia' (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)


lyrics/music: DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu
note: adopted 1992

Location:
 
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
 

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 N, 38 00 E
 

Map references:

Africa
 

Area:

total: 1,104,300 sq km
country comparison to the world: 27
land: 1 million sq km
water: 104,300 sq km
 

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas
 

Land boundaries:

total: 5,925 km
border countries: Djibouti 342 km, Eritrea 1,033 km, Kenya 867 km, Somalia 1,640 km, South Sudan 1,299 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 extremes:

lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m
 

Natural resources:

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
 

Land use:

arable land: 13.19%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 85.8% (2011)
 

Irrigated land:

2,896 sq km (2003)
 

Total renewable water resources:

122 cu km (2011)
 

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 5.56 cu km/yr (13%/1%/86%)
per capita: 80.5 cu m/yr (2005)
 

Natural hazards:

geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (elev. 613 m), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, causing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir
 

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
 

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
 

Geography - note:

landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; Ethiopia is, therefore, the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean

Nationality:
 
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
 

Ethnic groups:

Oromo 34.4%, Amhara (Amara) 27%, Somali (Somalie) 6.2%, Tigray (Tigrinya) 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Gurage 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Afar (Affar) 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Silte 1.3%, Kefficho 1.2%, other 10.5% (2007 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.)
 

Religions:

Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.5%, traditional 2.7%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.6% (2007 est.)
 

Population:

96,633,458
country comparison to the world: 14
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 (July 2014 est.)
 

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.2% (male 21,376,243/female 21,308,454)
15-24 years: 19.9% (male 9,557,462/female 9,692,275)
25-54 years: 29.2% (male 14,023,218/female 14,176,263)
55-64 years: 3.9% (male 1,826,602/female 1,919,212)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 1,242,171/female 1,511,558) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:  
 

Dependency ratios:

total dependency ratio: 83.5 %
youth dependency ratio: 77.2 %
elderly dependency ratio: 6.3 %
potential support ratio: 15.8 (2014 est.)
 

Median age:

total: 17.6 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 17.7 years (2014 est.)
 

Population growth rate:

2.89% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
 

Birth rate:

37.66 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
 

Death rate:

8.52 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
 

Net migration rate:

-0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 122
note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2014 est.)
 

Urbanization:

urban population: 17% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
 

Major urban areas - population:

ADDIS ABABA (capital) 2.979 million (2011)
 

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
 

Mother's mean age at first birth:

19.6
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2011 est.)
 

Maternal mortality rate:

350 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 33
 

Infant mortality rate:

total: 55.77 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 29
male: 63.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
 

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 60.75 years
country comparison to the world: 193
male: 58.43 years
female: 63.15 years (2014 est.)
 

Total fertility rate:

5.23 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
 

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

28.6% (2010/11)
 

Health expenditures:

4.7% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 148
 

Physicians density:

0.03 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
 

Hospital bed density:

6.3 beds/1,000 population (2011)
 

Drinking water source:

improved: 
urban: 96.8% of population
rural: 42.1% of population
total: 51.5% of population
unimproved: 
urban: 3.2% of population
rural: 57.9% of population
total: 48.5% of population (2012 est.)
 

Sanitation facility access:

improved: 
urban: 27.4% of population
rural: 22.8% of population
total: 23.6% of population
unimproved: 
urban: 72.6% of population
rural: 77.2% of population
total: 76.4% of population (2012 est.)
 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

758,600 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
HIV/AIDS - deaths:

47,200 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)
 

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:

1.1% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 191
 

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:

29.2% (2011)
country comparison to the world: 17
 

Education expenditures:

4.7% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 85
 

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 39%
male: 49.1%
female: 28.9% (2007 est.)
 

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 6 years (2005)
 

Child labor - children ages 5-14:

total number: 10,693,164
percentage: 53 % (2005 est.)
 

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total: 24.9%
country comparison to the world: 40
male: 19.5%
female: 29.4% (2006)

Economic Overview

Source: CIA World Fact Book


Economy - overview:
 
Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture but the government is pushing to diversify into manufacturing, textiles, and energy generation.. Coffee is a major export crop. The agricultural sector suffers from poor cultivation practices and frequent drought, but recent joint efforts by the Government of Ethiopia and donors have strengthened Ethiopia's agricultural resilience, contributing to a reduction in the number of Ethiopians threatened with starvation. The banking, insurance, telecommunications, and micro-credit industries are restricted to domestic investors, but Ethiopia has attracted significant foreign investment in textiles, leather, commercial agriculture and manufacturing. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; land use certificates are now being issued in some areas so that tenants have more recognizable rights to continued occupancy and hence make more concerted efforts to improve their leaseholds. While GDP growth has remained high, per capita income is among the lowest in the world. Ethiopia's economy continues on its state-led Growth and Transformation Plan under the new collective leadership that followed Prime Minister MELES’s death. The five-year economic plan has achieved high single-digit growth rates through government-led infrastructure expansion and commercial agriculture development. Ethiopia in 2014 will continue construction of its Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile – a controversial five billion dollar effort to develop electricity for domestic consumption and export.
 

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$118.2 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
$110.4 billion (2012 est.)
$101.8 billion (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
 

GDP (official exchange rate):

$47.34 billion (2013 est.)
 

GDP - real growth rate:

7% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
8.5% (2012 est.)
11.4% (2011 est.)
 

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,300 (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
$1,300 (2012 est.)
$1,200 (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
 

Gross national saving:

18.8% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
18.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
22.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
 

GDP - composition, by end use:

household consumption: 83.1%
government consumption: 8.6%
investment in fixed capital: 26.1%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 11.5%
imports of goods and services: -29.3%
(2013 est.)
 

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:

agriculture: 47%
industry: 10.8%
services: 42.2% (2013 est.)
 

Agriculture - products:

cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, khat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
 

Industries:

food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement
 

Industrial production growth rate:

9% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
 

Labor force:

45.65 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
 

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 85%
industry: 5%
services: 10% (2009 est.)
 

Unemployment rate:

17.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
18% (2011 est.)
 

Population below poverty line:

39% (2012 est.)
 

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2005)
 

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33 (2011)
country comparison to the world: 101
30 (2000)
 

Budget:

revenues: $6.702 billion
expenditures: $8.042 billion (2013 est.)
 

Taxes and other revenues:

14.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
 

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):

-2.8% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
 

Public debt:

50.4% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
39.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
note: official data cover central government debt, including debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury and treasury debt owned by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
 

Fiscal year:

8 July - 7 July
 

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.4% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
22.9% (2012 est.)
 

Central bank discount rate:

NA%
 

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12% (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
14.5% (31 December 2012 est.)
 

Stock of narrow money:

$9.006 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
$9.107 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
 

Stock of broad money:

$15.43 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
$15.45 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
 

Stock of domestic credit:

$16.07 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
$16.09 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
 

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA
 

Current account balance:

-$2.744 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
-$2.031 billion (2012 est.)
 

Exports:

$3.214 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
$3.039 billion (2012 est.)
 

Exports - commodities:

coffee, khat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
 

Exports - partners:

China 13%, Germany 10.8%, US 8%, Belgium 7.7%, Saudi Arabia 7.6% (2012)
 

Imports:

$10.68 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
$10.25 billion (2012 est.)
 

Imports - commodities:

food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
 

Imports - partners:

China 13.1%, US 11%, Saudi Arabia 8.4%, India 5.4% (2012)
 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.382 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
$3.272 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
 

Debt - external:

$11.99 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
$10.03 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
 

Exchange rates:

birr (ETB) per US dollar -
19.92 (2013 est.)
17.705 (2012 est.)
14.41 (2010 est.)
11.78 (2009)
9.57 (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use:
 
797,500 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 86
 

Telephones - mobile cellular:

20.524 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 47
 

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate telephone system with the Ethio Telecom maintaining a monopoly over telecommunication services; open-wire, microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service
domestic: the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 15 per 100 persons
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) (2011)
 

Broadcast media:

1 public TV station broadcasting nationally and 1 public radio broadcaster with stations in each of the 13 administrative districts; a few commercial radio stations and roughly a dozen community radio stations (2009)
 

Internet country code:

.et
 

Internet hosts:

179 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 203
 

Internet users:

447,300 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 119

Airports:
 
57 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 84
 

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2013)
 

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 40
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 
8 (2013)
 

Railways:

total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
country comparison to the world: 102
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008)
 

Roadways:

total: 44,359 km
country comparison to the world: 79
paved: 6,064 km
unpaved: 38,295 km (2007)
 

Merchant marine:

total: 8
country comparison to the world: 121
by type: cargo 8 (2010)
 

Ports and terminals:

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

Electricity - production:
 
4.929 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
 

Electricity - consumption:

4.451 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
 

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
 

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
 

Electricity - installed generating capacity:

2.061 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
 

Electricity - from fossil fuels:

9.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
 

Electricity - from nuclear fuels:

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
 

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:

89.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
 

Electricity - from other renewable sources:

0.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
 

Crude oil - production:

100 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
 

Crude oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
 

Crude oil - imports:

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
 

Crude oil - proved reserves:

430,000 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
 

Refined petroleum products - production:

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
 

Refined petroleum products - consumption:

49,080 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
 

Refined petroleum products - exports:

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
 

Refined petroleum products - imports:

42,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
 

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
 

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
 

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
 

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
 

Natural gas - proved reserves:

24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
 

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:

6.703 million Mt (2011 est.)

Realistic Export Opportunies

Source: TRADE Decision Support Model


A total of 70 Realistic Export Opportunities (REOs) from South Africa to Ethiopia are identified based on the North-West University’s (South Africa) TRADE Decision Support Model (DSM).

The methodology is a very useful instrument to identify market opportunities globally for one’s product and also provides a good reference for one to be able to prioritise marketing efforts based on the value and size of these opportunities.

The TRADE-DSM Navigator provides sound information that companies are able to use in developing their export marketing strategy and forms the basis and guidance for further research should this be required.

In total 70 of the products associated with import demand are identified as realistic export opportunities. The relative 'untapped' potential of the market opportunity is shown in the chart below:



A total 'untapped' potential from South Africa's perspective of approximately 0.02 (in million US dollar terms) based on the average value of the top 6 supplying countries (excluding South Africa) are associated with these specific product export opportunities.

The highest number of identified opportunities are associated with the economic sector of

Food (301-304) .

Not all sectors will be present, as not all economic sectors (some of which are based on economic activity while the REOs are based on traded products) are relevant for all products. However, various other sectors also do exhibit potential.

While the above examples are based on high level economic sectors, the information is available at a much more granular level on the HS 6-digit tariff code level. To demonstrate the following example of a product description is provided:

HS CHAPTER 84:
NUCLEAR REACTORS, BOILERS, MACHINERY AND MECHANICAL APPLIANCES; PARTS THEREOF
Sub-heading 84.27:
Fork-lift trucks; other works trucks fitted with lifting or handling equipment:
HS 6-digit product code 8427.10:
Self-propelled trucks powered by an electric motor.

Research reports containing more detailed information related to these realistic export opportunities (down to product level as illustrated with the above product description) for each country are available from TIKZN.

Please contact us if you are interested in more detail by clicking here.

For an example of a more detailed country report please click here.

Please note that a more up-to-date version for the specific country report used in this example is available from TIKZN. This report is provided for demonstration purposes only and should not be used for any decision-making.

For more in-depth research you can also contact our NWU knowledge partners at
TRADE Research Advisory.


Trade Leads

Source: DTI Trade Lead Bulletins


Ref Date Received Officials Details Nature of Enquiry
Ref Date Received Officials Details Nature of Enquiry
# Description Chapter Amount in Rands
1 Total Trade 00 R 111,891,222.00
2 Vehicles other than railway, tramway 87 R 72,251,409.00
3 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc 84 R 9,440,263.00
4 Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruit, etc, nes 12 R 8,759,608.00
5 Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivs,pigments etc 32 R 6,371,973.00
6 Miscellaneous chemical products 38 R 2,923,145.00
7 Printed books, newspapers, pictures etc 49 R 2,592,015.00
8 Paper & paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board 48 R 2,443,429.00
9 Organic chemicals 29 R 2,350,125.00
10 Electrical, electronic equipment 85 R 1,401,779.00
11 Coffee, tea, mate and spices 09 R 911,886.00
12 Essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toileteries 33 R 372,450.00
13 Articles of apparel, accessories, knit or crochet 61 R 371,911.00
14 Articles of apparel, accessories, not knit or crochet 62 R 332,965.00
15 Toys, games, sports requisites 95 R 297,090.00
16 Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing etc 63 R 267,119.00
17 Articles of leather, animal gut, harness, travel goods 42 R 208,510.00
18 Edible fruit, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons 08 R 152,650.00
19 Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers 07 R 104,545.00
20 Articles of iron or steel 73 R 95,195.00
21 Copper and articles thereof 74 R 92,376.00
22 Carpets and other textile floor coverings 57 R 59,870.00
23 Furniture, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings 94 R 36,223.00
24 Plastics and articles thereof 39 R 22,251.00
25 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 96 R 13,608.00
26 Optical, photo, technical, medical, etc apparatus 90 R 12,635.00
27 Tools, implements, cutlery, etc of base metal 82 R 5,792.00
28 Live animals 01 R 400.00
# Description Chapter Amount
# Description Chapter Amount in Rands
1 Total Trade 00 R 157,795,320.00
2 Vehicles other than railway, tramway 87 R 85,138,095.00
3 Milling products, malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten 11 R 23,711,632.00
4 Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruit, etc, nes 12 R 17,243,253.00
5 Sugars and sugar confectionery 17 R 10,673,844.00
6 Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivs,pigments etc 32 R 4,727,853.00
7 Organic chemicals 29 R 3,592,729.00
8 Miscellaneous chemical products 38 R 3,568,191.00
9 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc 84 R 3,379,030.00
10 Electrical, electronic equipment 85 R 1,823,731.00
11 Rubber and articles thereof 40 R 879,724.00
12 Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing etc 63 R 546,135.00
13 Paper & paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board 48 R 532,538.00
14 Coffee, tea, mate and spices 09 R 414,692.00
15 Plastics and articles thereof 39 R 396,126.00
16 Inorganic chemicals, precious metal compound, isotopes 28 R 218,394.00
17 Tools, implements, cutlery, etc of base metal 82 R 192,401.00
18 Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, etc 27 R 172,320.00
19 Toys, games, sports requisites 95 R 131,942.00
20 Miscellaneous edible preparations 21 R 105,711.00
21 Printed books, newspapers, pictures etc 49 R 84,390.00
22 Albuminoids, modified starches, glues, enzymes 35 R 51,175.00
23 Optical, photo, technical, medical, etc apparatus 90 R 44,768.00
24 Umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat-sticks, whips, etc 66 R 42,511.00
25 Soaps, lubricants, waxes, candles, modelling pastes 34 R 31,722.00
26 Miscellaneous articles of base metal 83 R 29,937.00
27 Glass and glassware 70 R 19,691.00
28 Furniture, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings 94 R 9,813.00
29 Pulp of wood, fibrous cellulosic material, waste etc 47 R 8,977.00
30 Salt, sulphur, earth, stone, plaster, lime and cement 25 R 8,471.00
31 Articles of iron or steel 73 R 6,546.00
32 Carpets and other textile floor coverings 57 R 2,934.00
33 Headgear and parts thereof 65 R 2,308.00
34 Footwear, gaiters and the like, parts thereof 64 R 1,570.00
35 Impregnated, coated or laminated textile fabric 59 R 1,422.00
36 Articles of apparel, accessories, knit or crochet 61 R 444.00
37 Wadding, felt, nonwovens, yarns, twine, cordage, etc 56 R 300.00
# Description Chapter Amount
# Description Chapter Amount in Rands
1 Total Trade 00 R 224,892,161.00
2 Vehicles other than railway, tramway 87 R 166,476,753.00
3 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc 84 R 21,060,795.00
4 Miscellaneous chemical products 38 R 12,382,060.00
5 Electrical, electronic equipment 85 R 6,149,858.00
6 Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivs,pigments etc 32 R 3,701,898.00
7 Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling stock, equipment 86 R 2,383,961.00
8 Articles of iron or steel 73 R 1,786,296.00
9 Glass and glassware 70 R 1,612,993.00
10 Essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toileteries 33 R 1,566,914.00
11 Furniture, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings 94 R 1,550,423.00
12 Paper & paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board 48 R 936,772.00
13 Articles of apparel, accessories, knit or crochet 61 R 870,120.00
14 Optical, photo, technical, medical, etc apparatus 90 R 675,810.00
15 Animal,vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products, etc 15 R 603,958.00
16 Organic chemicals 29 R 473,772.00
17 Articles of apparel, accessories, not knit or crochet 62 R 447,546.00
18 Manmade filaments 54 R 252,098.00
19 Rubber and articles thereof 40 R 242,826.00
20 Cocoa and cocoa preparations 18 R 204,646.00
21 Soaps, lubricants, waxes, candles, modelling pastes 34 R 192,396.00
22 Coffee, tea, mate and spices 09 R 190,388.00
23 Vegetable, fruit, nut, etc food preparations 20 R 161,868.00
24 Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, etc 27 R 147,294.00
25 Miscellaneous articles of base metal 83 R 146,731.00
26 Printed books, newspapers, pictures etc 49 R 137,264.00
27 Plastics and articles thereof 39 R 114,398.00
28 Headgear and parts thereof 65 R 83,587.00
29 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 96 R 77,626.00
30 Albuminoids, modified starches, glues, enzymes 35 R 67,653.00
31 Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing etc 63 R 57,001.00
32 Tools, implements, cutlery, etc of base metal 82 R 56,549.00
33 Pharmaceutical products 30 R 55,482.00
34 Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal 44 R 15,720.00
35 Salt, sulphur, earth, stone, plaster, lime and cement 25 R 7,181.00
36 Cereals 10 R 745.00
37 Clocks and watches and parts thereof 91 R 579.00
38 Products of animal origin, nes 05 R 200.00
# Description Chapter Amount
# Description Chapter Amount in Rands
1 Total Trade 00 R 207,371,968.00
2 Vehicles other than railway, tramway 87 R 110,641,025.00
3 Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruit, etc, nes 12 R 24,158,827.00
4 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc 84 R 13,243,354.00
5 Essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toileteries 33 R 11,575,480.00
6 Soaps, lubricants, waxes, candles, modelling pastes 34 R 11,573,860.00
7 Paper & paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board 48 R 8,613,748.00
8 Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivs,pigments etc 32 R 7,186,559.00
9 Electrical, electronic equipment 85 R 3,774,393.00
10 Miscellaneous chemical products 38 R 3,047,280.00
11 Animal,vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products, etc 15 R 1,865,905.00
12 Optical, photo, technical, medical, etc apparatus 90 R 1,848,607.00
13 Inorganic chemicals, precious metal compound, isotopes 28 R 1,831,503.00
14 Articles of iron or steel 73 R 1,339,837.00
15 Plastics and articles thereof 39 R 1,206,812.00
16 Glass and glassware 70 R 1,142,288.00
17 Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica, etc articles 68 R 831,172.00
18 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 96 R 640,797.00
19 Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, etc 27 R 616,786.00
20 Rubber and articles thereof 40 R 382,717.00
21 Miscellaneous edible preparations 21 R 292,142.00
22 Vegetable, fruit, nut, etc food preparations 20 R 266,456.00
23 Miscellaneous articles of base metal 83 R 216,375.00
24 Printed books, newspapers, pictures etc 49 R 189,657.00
25 Tools, implements, cutlery, etc of base metal 82 R 170,014.00
26 Cocoa and cocoa preparations 18 R 154,991.00
27 Furniture, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings 94 R 134,980.00
28 Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing etc 63 R 131,871.00
29 Umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat-sticks, whips, etc 66 R 101,600.00
30 Wadding, felt, nonwovens, yarns, twine, cordage, etc 56 R 91,453.00
31 Articles of leather, animal gut, harness, travel goods 42 R 50,370.00
32 Pharmaceutical products 30 R 33,106.00
33 Impregnated, coated or laminated textile fabric 59 R 12,222.00
34 Aluminium and articles thereof 76 R 4,556.00
35 Albuminoids, modified starches, glues, enzymes 35 R 491.00
36 Cereals 10 R 308.00
37 Ceramic products 69 R 250.00
38 Clocks and watches and parts thereof 91 R 141.00
39 Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal 44 R 35.00
# Description Chapter Amount
# Description Chapter Amount in Rands
1 Total Trade 00 R 387,118,700.00
2 Vehicles other than railway, tramway 87 R 295,541,644.00
3 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc 84 R 33,202,716.00
4 Paper & paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board 48 R 23,835,395.00
5 Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruit, etc, nes 12 R 7,695,602.00
6 Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivs,pigments etc 32 R 7,257,309.00
7 Soaps, lubricants, waxes, candles, modelling pastes 34 R 3,486,034.00
8 Electrical, electronic equipment 85 R 2,770,567.00
9 Iron and steel 72 R 2,552,243.00
10 Optical, photo, technical, medical, etc apparatus 90 R 1,931,369.00
11 Articles of iron or steel 73 R 1,576,776.00
12 Manmade staple fibres 55 R 1,235,674.00
13 Glass and glassware 70 R 1,118,458.00
14 Vegetable, fruit, nut, etc food preparations 20 R 1,013,439.00
15 Essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toileteries 33 R 743,693.00
16 Animal,vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products, etc 15 R 604,748.00
17 Furniture, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings 94 R 444,492.00
18 Plastics and articles thereof 39 R 381,357.00
19 Miscellaneous chemical products 38 R 321,693.00
20 Rubber and articles thereof 40 R 281,366.00
21 Miscellaneous articles of base metal 83 R 257,938.00
22 Miscellaneous edible preparations 21 R 216,992.00
23 Wadding, felt, nonwovens, yarns, twine, cordage, etc 56 R 179,996.00
24 Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing etc 63 R 113,779.00
25 Cereal, flour, starch, milk preparations and products 19 R 111,337.00
26 Aluminium and articles thereof 76 R 59,137.00
27 Coffee, tea, mate and spices 09 R 57,543.00
28 Footwear, gaiters and the like, parts thereof 64 R 49,990.00
29 Printed books, newspapers, pictures etc 49 R 31,400.00
30 Articles of apparel, accessories, knit or crochet 61 R 15,297.00
31 Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica, etc articles 68 R 8,947.00
32 Pharmaceutical products 30 R 8,942.00
33 Headgear and parts thereof 65 R 5,600.00
34 Tools, implements, cutlery, etc of base metal 82 R 4,332.00
35 Toys, games, sports requisites 95 R 2,813.00
36 Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, etc 27 R 82.00
# Description Chapter Amount
Export and Import Statistics

Trade Blocs

Ethiopia belongs to the following Trade Blocs


Local Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of Embassy

Physical Address
47 Charles Street, Bailey’s Muckleneuk, Brooklyn, 0181

Postal Address
, , Hatfield,

Tel no
012 346 4067

Email
ethiopiapta@iburst.co.za

Abroad Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of Embassy

Physical Address
Nifasilk Lafto, Subcity, Kebele 03, South Africa Avenue (Old Airport Area), Addis Ababa,

Postal Address
, , Addis Ababa,

Tel no
+ 251 11 371 1002

Email
Moganedih@dirco.gov.za


Visa Required: Yes

Period/Purpose: 

Visa Fee: Yes 

Visa Issuing Authority: Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 47 Charles Street Tel 012-3463542 Fax 012-3463867

Compulsory Vaccination Requirements: 

Yellow Fever if coming from endemic country or travelled through an endemic country

Recommend Vaccination Requirements: 

Hepatitus A & Tetanus, Typhoid, Cholera & Meningitis




Ports of entry and Airports

 

Port Name Code
Addis Ababa ADD
Arba Mintch AMH
Asosa ASO
Awassa AWA
Axum AXU
Bahar Dar BJR
Bulchi BCY
Debra Marcos DBM
Dembidollo DEM
Dessie DSE
Dire Dawa DIR
Gambela GMB
Goba GOB
Gondar GDQ
Gore GOR
Humera HUE
Jimma JIM
Kelafo/Callaf LFO
Makale MQX
Mekane Selam MKS
Mena MZX
Mizan Teferi MTF
Mota OTA
Mui MUJ
Soddu SXU
Tippi TIE
Waca WAC
Port Name Code
Airport Name City IATA Code
Arba Minch Arba Minch AMH
Asosa Asosa ASO
Awasa Airport Awasa AWA
Axum Axum AXU
Baco Airport Baco BCO
Bahir Dar Bahar Dar BJR
Beica Airport Beica BEI
Bole Intl Addis Ababa ADD
Combolcha Airport Dessie DSE
Debre Marqos Debre Marqos DBM
Debre Tabor Airport Debre Tabor DBT
Dembidollo Airport Dembidollo DEM
Dire Dawa Intl Dire Dawa DIR
Gambella Gambella GMB
Gode Airport Gode GDE
Gondar Gondar GDQ
Gore Airport Gore GOR
Harar Meda Airport Debre Zeyit QHR
Humera Airport Humera HUE
Jijiga Airport Jijiga JIJ
Jimma Jimma JIM
Kabri Dehar Airport Kabri Dehar ABK
Lalibella Lalibella LLI
Lideta Addis Ababa
Makale Makale MQX
Mekane Salam Airport Mekane Selam MKS
Mizan Teferi Airport Mizan Teferi MTF
Robe Airport Goba GOB
Shilavo Airport Shilavo HIL
Shire Inda Selassie Airport Shire Indasilase SHC
Tippi Airport Tippi TIE
Airport Name City IATA Code



Downloads

 



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