Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia is 77% bigger than Somalia
Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024) · Somalia: 637,657 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Somalia: 3,025 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 2,090 m above Somalia’s
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Somalia: 2,460 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 70% of Somalia, versus 34% of Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024) · Somalia: 70.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 6.9 times as many people as Somalia
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Somalia: 19.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 3.9 times as densely populated as Somalia
Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025) · Somalia: 31 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Somalia are 2.4 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Somalia: 171.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Somalia are 2.7 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Somalia: 159.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ethiopia is 3.3 years older than in Somalia
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Somalia: 15.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Somalia have 2.1 more children on average than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Somalia: 6.01 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.3% of people in Ethiopia are 65 or older, versus 2.6% in Somalia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Somalia: 2.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ethiopia hosts 7 times as many refugees per resident as Somalia
Ethiopia: 7.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Somalia: 1.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ethiopia has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Somalia none
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026) · Somalia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Somalia has 2 official languages, Ethiopia 1
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Somalia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ethiopia’s economy is 9.7 times the size of Somalia’s
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Somalia: $13 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ethiopia produces 2.2 times as much per person as Somalia
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Somalia: Int$1,643 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Somalia: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021) · Somalia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 19% in Somalia, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Somalia: 18.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Somalia spends 1.5% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.5%
Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025) · Somalia: 1.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ethiopia’s central government collects 3.4% of GDP in tax, Somalia’s 2.2%
Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024) · Somalia: 2.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Somalia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Somalia: 40% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ethiopia spends 56% more on health per person than Somalia
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Somalia: $22 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 8.6 years longer than in Somalia
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Somalia: 59 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Somalia is 90% more likely to die before turning one than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Somalia: 65.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ethiopia has 3 times as many doctors per person as Somalia
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Somalia: 0.048 per 1,000 (2014)
How many hospital beds are there?
Somalia has 2.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016) · Somalia: 0.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Somalia is 93% higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Somalia: 27.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Somalia are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Somalia: 13% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Somalia: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Somalia rate their lives 0.52 points higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Somalia: 4.51 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Somalia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Somalia has 61% more meat per person than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Somalia: 11.1 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Ethiopia has 746 kcal more food per person per day than Somalia
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Somalia: 1,812 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Somalia: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ethiopia went to school 0.5 years longer than in Somalia
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Somalia: 1.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024) · Somalia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Ethiopia has 12 more World Heritage sites than Somalia (12 against 0)
Ethiopia: 12 (2026) · Somalia: 0 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ethiopia has won 62 Olympic medals, Somalia none
Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition) · Somalia: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
28% of people in Somalia are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Somalia: 28% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Somalia is 3.1 times as fast as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026) · Somalia: 67 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
57% of people in Ethiopia have electricity, versus 54% in Somalia
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Somalia: 54.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
55% of people in Somalia live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Somalia: 55% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ethiopia has 65 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Somalia 54
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Somalia: 54 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Somalia: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 65 times as many passengers per resident as those from Somalia
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Somalia: 0.0017 (2019)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of Ethiopia, but only 7.8% of Somalia
Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024) · Somalia: 7.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ethiopia emits 95% more CO₂ than someone in Somalia
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Somalia: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Somalia
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Somalia: 20.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ethiopia carries 76% more fine dust than in Somalia
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Somalia: 11.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ethiopia are 20% deadlier than in Somalia
Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023) · Somalia: 19.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Somalia is on average 3.1 °C warmer than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Somalia: 27°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 3.7 times as much rain as Somalia
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Somalia: 258 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than Somalia?
Ethiopia is larger. Ethiopia is 77% bigger than Somalia.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Somalia?
Ethiopia has 6.9 times as many people as Somalia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Somalia?
People in Ethiopia live 8.6 years longer than in Somalia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 59.0 in Somalia.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Somalia?
Men in Somalia are 2.4 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
