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

Health

live 16.4 years longer

In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 58.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 29.3 times more doctors per person

Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 2.4 times more access to essential health services

Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 4.8 times more likely to be obese

In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 15.2% more likely to die by suicide

Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 39.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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make 46.4 times more money

Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 92.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 96.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 64.3% more likely to be literate

In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 93.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 80.0% fewer children

In Ethiopia, there are approximately 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 80.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 79.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 77.0% more on education

Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 3.0 times more on healthcare

Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Safety

be 71.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 53.9 times more home broadband

Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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use 45.6 times more electricity

Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 67.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 33.9 times more CO2

Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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