Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia is 92% bigger than Kenya.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 649 m above Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 2.4 times as many people as Kenya.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Kenya: 57.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 21% more densely populated than Kenya.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · Kenya: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kenya are 1.6 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kenya are 2.3 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kenya is 0.79 years older than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Kenya: 19.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 0.7 more children on average than in Kenya.
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Ethiopia and Kenya are practically level.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Kenya: 3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · Kenya: 0.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, Ethiopia 1.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Kenya: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Kenya’s economy is 8% larger than Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Kenya: $136 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Kenya produces 94% more per person than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in Ethiopia (Gini 7.4 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Kenya: 38.5 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Kenya: 5.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Kenya and Ethiopia are practically level.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · Kenya: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Kenya’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Kenya: 34% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kenya spends 2.4 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Kenya: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 3.8 years longer than in Kenya.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Kenya: 63.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Ethiopia and Kenya are nearly identical here.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kenya has 2 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Kenya are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Kenya: 10.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
9.6% of adults in Kenya smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Kenya: 9.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kenya rate their lives 0.69 points higher than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Kenya: 4.67 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Ethiopia and Kenya are nearly identical here.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Kenya has 47% more meat per person than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ethiopia has 412 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kenya put in 435 more hours a year than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kenya went to school 6.2 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Kenya: 8.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kenya welcomed 6.8 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019).
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · Kenya: 0.03 (2017)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
35% of people in Kenya are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Kenya: 35% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
77% of people in Kenya have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Kenya: 77% (2024)
How many live in cities?
32% of people in Kenya live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Kenya: 32% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kenya has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Kenya: 126 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 5.1 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Kenya: 3,819 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 26% more passengers per resident than those from Kenya.
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Kenya: 0.09 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 15% of Ethiopia, but only 6.2% of Kenya.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · Kenya: 6.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kenya emits 2.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Kenya: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 90% in Kenya.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Kenya: 90% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 9% more fine dust than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 59% deadlier than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 1.8 °C warmer than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 38% more rain than Kenya.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than Kenya?
Ethiopia is larger. Ethiopia is 92% bigger than Kenya.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Kenya?
Ethiopia has 2.4 times as many people as Kenya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Kenya?
People in Ethiopia live 3.8 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 63.8 in Kenya.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Kenya?
Men in Kenya are 1.6 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
