World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Ethiopia 10 times.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 2,215 m above the median country’s.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 18 times as many people as the median country.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 22% more densely populated than the median country.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 4.7 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.4 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 12 years older than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 2.0 more children on average than in the median country.
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ethiopia has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and the median country are practically level.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ethiopia’s economy is 2.8 times the size of the median country’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 5.8 times as much per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Ethiopia (Gini 3.3 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.7%.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 14 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 7 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 2.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 12 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.85 points higher than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 92% more alcohol than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 8.1 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 379 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 375 more hours a year than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 7.5 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 85 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019).
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 2.8 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 2.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 15% of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 22 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ethiopia carries 22% more fine dust than in the median country.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ethiopia are 44% deadlier than in the median country.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 0.9 °C warmer than the median country.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 5% more rain than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than the median country?
Ethiopia is larger. The median country fits inside Ethiopia 10 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or the median country?
Ethiopia has 18 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or the median country?
People in the median country live 7 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or the median country?
Men in the median country are 4.7 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
