Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Eritrea fits inside Ethiopia 9.3 times.
Eritrea: 121,766 km² (2023) · Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Eritrea: 2,234 km (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 1,532 m above Eritrea’s.
Eritrea: 3,018 m (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 38 times as many people as Eritrea.
Eritrea: 3.61 million (2025) · Ethiopia: 135 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 4 times as densely populated as Eritrea.
Eritrea: 30 per km² (2025) · Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Eritrea are 1.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 170.6 cm (2019) · Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Eritrea and Ethiopia are practically level.
Eritrea: 157.6 cm (2019) · Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
Ethiopia and Eritrea are practically level.
Eritrea: 18.7 years (2023) · Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 0.2 more children on average than in Eritrea.
Eritrea: 3.68 children per woman (2024) · Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.3% of people in Eritrea are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 4.3% (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ethiopia has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Eritrea 0.0.
Eritrea: 0 (2025) · Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Eritrea has 3 official languages, Ethiopia 1.
Eritrea: 3 (2026) · Ethiopia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Eritrea, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 6% (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 26% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ethiopia spends 23% more on health per person than Eritrea.
Eritrea: $28 (2023) · Ethiopia: $35 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Eritrea live 1.3 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 68.9 years (2024) · Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 40% more likely to die before turning one than in Eritrea.
Eritrea: 24.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ethiopia has 63% more doctors per person than Eritrea.
Eritrea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
3.7% of adults in Eritrea are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 3.7% (2024) · Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ethiopia drink 64% more alcohol than in Eritrea.
Eritrea: 1.4 litres (2023) · Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Eritrea went to school 2.7 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 5.1 years (2023) · Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Eritrea: no data · Ethiopia: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
22% of people in Ethiopia are online, versus 14% in Eritrea.
Eritrea: 14% (2020) · Ethiopia: 22% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
57% of people in Ethiopia have electricity, versus 55% in Eritrea.
Eritrea: 55.3% (2024) · Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024)
How many live in cities?
35% of people in Eritrea live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 35% (2025) · Ethiopia: 24% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ethiopia has 65 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Eritrea 59.
Eritrea: 59 (2022) · Ethiopia: 65 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Ethiopia’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Eritrea’s.
Eritrea: 306 km (2018) · Ethiopia: 754 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Eritrea.
Eritrea: 0.01 (2020) · Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 15% of Ethiopia, but only 8.6% of Eritrea.
Eritrea: 8.6% (2023) · Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Eritrea emits 56% more CO₂ than someone in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 0.2 t (2024) · Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 11% in Eritrea.
Eritrea: 11.1% (2024) · Ethiopia: 100% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Eritrea carries 24% more fine dust than in Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 25 µg/m³ (2024) · Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Eritrea and Ethiopia are nearly identical here.
Eritrea: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Eritrea is on average 3.5 °C warmer than Ethiopia.
Eritrea: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 3.1 times as much rain as Eritrea.
Eritrea: 307 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Eritrea bigger than Ethiopia?
Ethiopia is larger. Eritrea fits inside Ethiopia 9.3 times.
Which has more people, Eritrea or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has 38 times as many people as Eritrea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Eritrea or Ethiopia?
People in Eritrea live 1.3 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 68.9 years in Eritrea and 67.6 in Ethiopia.
Are people taller in Eritrea or Ethiopia?
Men in Eritrea are 1.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
