Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Ethiopia 27 times.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 3,688 m above the Netherlands’.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 7.5 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 4.5 times as densely populated as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.9 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 13.2 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 23 years older than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 2.5 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and the Netherlands are practically level.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 11 times the size of Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 24 times as much per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ethiopia than in the Netherlands (Gini 5.4 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.7%.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 3.3× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 197 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 14 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 27 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 3.24 points higher than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 10 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 909 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ethiopia put in 161 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 10 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 224 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019).
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 4 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 20 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 15% of Ethiopia, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 47 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ethiopia carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ethiopia are 5.2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 12.7 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 8% more rain than the Netherlands.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than the Netherlands?
Ethiopia is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Ethiopia 27 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or the Netherlands?
Ethiopia has 7.5 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 14 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.9 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
