Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia is 76% bigger than South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · South Sudan: 646,883 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Sudan: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 1,363 m above South Sudan’s.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · South Sudan: 3,187 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 11 times as many people as South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · South Sudan: 12.2 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 6.2 times as densely populated as South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · South Sudan: 19 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How tall are the women?
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ethiopia is 0.76 years older than in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · South Sudan: 18 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 0.1 more children on average than in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · South Sudan: 3.79 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Ethiopia and South Sudan are practically level.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · South Sudan: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ethiopia has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Sudan 0.0.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · South Sudan: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and South Sudan are practically level.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · South Sudan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ethiopia’s economy is 11 times the size of South Sudan’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · South Sudan: $12 billion (2015)
How much is produced per person?
Ethiopia produces 3.1 times as much per person as South Sudan.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · South Sudan: Int$1,155 (2015)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Sudan than in Ethiopia (Gini 12.9 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · South Sudan: 44 (2016)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in South Sudan, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · South Sudan: 12.4% (2023)
How much goes to the military?
South Sudan spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.7%.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · South Sudan: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 3.6× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · South Sudan: 94% (2015)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Sudan spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · South Sudan: $73 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 9.9 years longer than in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · South Sudan: 57.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Sudan is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · South Sudan: 71.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ethiopia has 3.5 times as many doctors per person as South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · South Sudan: 0.041 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
8.2% of adults in South Sudan are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · South Sudan: 8.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · South Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ethiopia rate their lives 1.17 points higher than in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · South Sudan: 2.82 (2019)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ethiopia drink 5.5 times as much alcohol as in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · South Sudan: 0.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Sudan has 3.1 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · South Sudan: 21.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Ethiopia has 167 kcal more food per person per day than South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · South Sudan: 2,391 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · South Sudan: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Sudan went to school 3.3 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · South Sudan: 5.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · South Sudan: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
22% of people in Ethiopia are online, versus 6.7% in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · South Sudan: 7% (2019)
Who has electricity at home?
57% of people in Ethiopia have electricity, versus 5.4% in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · South Sudan: 5.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
24% of people in Ethiopia live in cities, versus 22% in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · South Sudan: 22% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ethiopia has 65 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Sudan 47.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · South Sudan: 47 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ethiopia’s railway network is 3 times as long as South Sudan’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · South Sudan: 248 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · South Sudan: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 15% of Ethiopia, but only 11% of South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · South Sudan: 11.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Sudan emits 5% more CO₂ than someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · South Sudan: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.8% in South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · South Sudan: 1.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Sudan carries 19% more fine dust than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Sudan: 24.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Sudan are 32% deadlier than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · South Sudan: 23.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Sudan is on average 4.7 °C warmer than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Sudan: 28.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 23% more rain than South Sudan.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Sudan: 785 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than South Sudan?
Ethiopia is larger. Ethiopia is 76% bigger than South Sudan.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or South Sudan?
Ethiopia has 11 times as many people as South Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or South Sudan?
People in Ethiopia live 9.9 years longer than in South Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 57.7 in South Sudan.
