Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sudan is 66% bigger than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 1,508 m above Sudan’s
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of Sudan, versus 34% of Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024) · Sudan: 60.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 2.6 times as many people as Sudan
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 4.4 times as densely populated as Sudan
Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sudan are 3.2 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sudan are 3.2 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ethiopia is 0.46 years older than in Sudan
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 0.4 more children on average than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Sudan and Ethiopia are practically level
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sudan hosts 2.1 times as many refugees per resident as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 7.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Sudan: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ethiopia has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sudan none
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026) · Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, Ethiopia 1
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ethiopia’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Sudan’s
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ethiopia produces 65% more per person than Sudan
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sudan than in Ethiopia (Gini 3.1 points higher)
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021) · Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Sudan and Ethiopia are practically level
Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sudan’s central government collects 7.4% of GDP in tax, Ethiopia’s 3.4%
Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024) · Sudan: 7.4% (2016)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ethiopia spends 65% more on health per person than Sudan
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 1.1 years longer than in Sudan
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 24% more likely to die before turning one than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sudan has 75% more doctors per person than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sudan has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016) · Sudan: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ethiopia is 3.9 times that in Sudan
Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 3.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Sudan are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sudan rate their lives 0.15 points higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ethiopia drink 62% more alcohol than in Sudan
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sudan has 2.7 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Ethiopia has 45 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 1,059 more hours a year than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sudan went to school 1.6 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sudan welcomed 4.7 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019)
Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024) · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
Ethiopia has 9 more World Heritage sites than Sudan (12 against 3)
Ethiopia: 12 (2026) · Sudan: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ethiopia has won 62 Olympic medals, Sudan 1
Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition) · Sudan: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
22% of people in Ethiopia are online, versus 19% in Sudan
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sudan is 3.7 times as fast as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026) · Sudan: 79 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
66% of people in Sudan have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
35% of people in Sudan live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sudan has 70 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Sudan’s railway network is 3.6 times as long as Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 6.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of Ethiopia, but only 12% of Sudan
Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024) · Sudan: 11.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sudan emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 80% in Sudan
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 43% more fine dust than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 18% deadlier than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 28.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 3.8 °C warmer than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 5.6 times as much rain as Sudan
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Sudan is 66% bigger than Ethiopia.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Sudan?
Ethiopia has 2.6 times as many people as Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Sudan?
People in Ethiopia live 1.1 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Sudan?
Men in Sudan are 3.2 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
