Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 65.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 47.7% less likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
have 58.9% more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
be 30.1% less likely to die by suicide
Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 51.6% less spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 28.6% less access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 20.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
make 17.0% less money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
have 12.2% more children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 23.2% less likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
be 17.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 13.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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.
be 30.8% less likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.1% less on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 45.4% less on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 52.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 46.8% more electricity
Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.
live with 59.7% more strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
Environment
be 25.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.