Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
be 32.6% less likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
have 62.5% more doctors per person
Eritrea has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
be 54.1% less likely to die by suicide
Eritrea has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
have 22.2% less access to essential health services
Eritrea scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 33.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 291.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Eritrea, approximately 24.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.5% less likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.9% less on healthcare
Eritrea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 41.1% less likely to be murdered
Eritrea has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Ethiopia, that number is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2012.
Infrastructure
find 3.5 times more home broadband
Eritrea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.9 times more strain on fresh water
Eritrea withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
Environment
be 41.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Eritrea, air pollution causes 78.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.8% less CO2
Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Eritrea vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.