The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia fits inside the United States 8.7 times
Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 1,640 m above Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 34% of Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 2.5 times as many people as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 3.2 times as densely populated as the United States
Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 8.1 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 6.2 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 19 years older than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 2.3 more children on average than in the United States
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ethiopia hosts 5.6 times as many refugees per resident as the United States
Ethiopia: 7.5 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and the United States are practically level
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 244 times the size of Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 25 times as much per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Ethiopia (Gini 10.7 points higher)
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
39% of people in Ethiopia live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.1% in the United States
Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.5%
Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United States’ central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, Ethiopia’s 3.4%
Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3.9× Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 387 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 11 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 6.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 26 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 8.1 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ethiopia is 8% higher than in the United States
Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 2.83 points higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 18 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,389 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 189 more hours a year than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 12 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 52 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019)
Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 15 more World Heritage sites than Ethiopia (27 against 12)
Ethiopia: 12 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Ethiopia 62
Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 19 times as fast as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 197 times as long as Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 24 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 24% of Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 105 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ethiopia carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 10% deadlier than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 13.6 °C warmer than the United States
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 13% more rain than the United States
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Ethiopia fits inside the United States 8.7 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or the United States?
The United States has 2.5 times as many people as Ethiopia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or the United States?
People in the United States live 11 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or the United States?
Men in the United States are 8.1 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
