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

Health

be 91.3% less likely to be obese

In Libya, 33.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.5 years less

In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 91.9% less spent on your healthcare

Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.

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have 43.5% less access to essential health services

Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.

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be 21.4% more likely to die by suicide

Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 82.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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make 85.5% less money

Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.

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Life

have 90.7% more children

In Libya, 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 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Libya, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Libya, approximately 7.9 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.

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Basic Needs

be 24.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 73.2% less likely to have internet access

In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.

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be 42.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Libya, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Ethiopia, 56% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 64.1% less on healthcare

Libya spends 7.8% 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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Safety

be 47.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water

Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.

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find 86.9% less home broadband

Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.

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use 97.0% less electricity

Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 14.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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emit 98.3% less CO2

Libya emits 8.7 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.

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