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

Health

be 86.6% less likely to be obese

In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 59.9% less likely to die by suicide

Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 8.4 years less

In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 96.3% less spent on your healthcare

Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.

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have 95.4% fewer doctors per person

Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.

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have 51.4% less access to essential health services

Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 53.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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be 68.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Serbia, 19.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.

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make 93.9% less money

Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.4 times more children

In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 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 17.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Serbia, approximately 11.0 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 39.1% less likely to be literate

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

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be 7.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 Serbia, 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 75.0% less likely to have internet access

In Serbia, approximately 87.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.

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be 41.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Serbia, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 32.4% less on education

Serbia spends 3.4% 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 65.1% less on healthcare

Serbia spends 8.0% 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 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 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 98.2% less home broadband

Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.

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live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water

Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.

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use 97.8% less electricity

Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), 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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