Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 89.7% less likely to be obese

In California, 28.4% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 34.9% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In California, 11.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.

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make 98.9% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 76.3% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: California vs. Ethiopia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Ethiopia is 61.7% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 2.7 times smaller than Ethiopia.
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Moving from California to Ethiopia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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 California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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