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

Health

be 89.9% less likely to be obese

In Turkey, 28.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.8 years less

In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 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 95.2% less spent on your healthcare

Turkey spends $1,769 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.

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have 93.6% fewer doctors per person

Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.

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have 53.9% less access to essential health services

Turkey scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 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 61.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Turkey, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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be 2.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Turkey, 13.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.

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make 95.0% less money

Turkey has a GDP per capita of $18,599 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.9 times more children

In Turkey, there are approximately 11.0 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 13.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Turkey, approximately 15.0 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 37.8% less likely to be literate

In Turkey, the literacy rate is 97.3% as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.

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be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Turkey, approximately 8.0 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 Turkey, 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 75.6% less likely to have internet access

In Turkey, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.

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be 42.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Turkey, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 94% 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 25.8% less on education

Turkey spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 34.6% less on healthcare

Turkey spends 4.3% 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 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 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 32.6% less strain on fresh water

Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.

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find 97.5% less home broadband

Turkey has 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.

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use 97.0% less electricity

Turkey uses 3,731 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 97.2% less CO2

Turkey emits 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 17.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Turkey, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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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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