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

Health

live 5.3 years longer

In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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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be 95.9% less likely to be obese

In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 96.5% less spent on your healthcare

Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.

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have 41.7% less access to essential health services

Nauru scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 93.6% less money

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.

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Life

be 28.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nauru, approximately 273.0 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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have 28.1% more children

In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 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 37.4% less likely to be literate

In Nauru, the literacy rate is 96.6% as of 2023. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.

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be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Nauru, approximately 7.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 44.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Nauru, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 73.6% less likely to have internet access

In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.

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be 43.2% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Nauru, approximately 98% 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 60.2% less on education

Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 84.6% less on healthcare

Nauru spends 18.2% 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 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 94.1% less home broadband

Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (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 Nauru? See an in-depth size comparison.

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