Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia fits inside Russia 15 times.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 1,092 m above Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 6% more people than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 14 times as densely populated as Russia.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 7.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 7.4 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 21 years older than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 2.5 more children on average than in Russia.
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · Russia: 2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and Russia are practically level.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 20 times the size of Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Russia produces 14 times as much per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Russia than in Ethiopia (Gini 1.9 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.3% in Ethiopia, versus 2.1% in Russia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.1% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.7%.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · Russia: 7.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Russia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Russia spends 29 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Russia live 5.8 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 8.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Russia.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 36 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Russia are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Russia rate their lives 1.85 points higher than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 4.6 times as much alcohol as in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 12 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 970 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 487 more hours a year than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 10 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · Russia: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Russia have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 113 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 6.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Russia, but only 15% of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · Russia: 49.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 91 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ethiopia carries 57% more fine dust than in Russia.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ethiopia are 67% deadlier than in Russia.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · Russia: 10.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 26.5 °C warmer than Russia.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 64% more rain than Russia.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Ethiopia fits inside Russia 15 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Russia?
Russia has 6% more people than Ethiopia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Russia?
People in Russia live 5.8 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Russia?
Men in Russia are 7.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
