If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Burma, you would:

Health

be 64.1% less likely to be obese

In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 69.7% less spent on your healthcare

Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.

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have 32.7% less access to essential health services

Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 37.4% less money

Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.

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Life

have 91.2% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 35.4% less likely to be literate

In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 27.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 50.1% less likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.

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be 35.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 37.2% less on healthcare

Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 79.4% less home broadband

Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.

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live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water

Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.

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use 69.4% less electricity

Burma uses 368 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 35.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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emit 74.1% less CO2

Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Ethiopia: At a glance

Ethiopia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,096,570 sq km. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.
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How big is Ethiopia compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

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