Eritrea vs Ethiopia

Eritrea vs Ethiopia: Government debt

Government debt: 260.4% of GDP in Eritrea in 2019 and 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Eritrea, by 205.7 percentage points, or 4.76 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Eritrea vs Ethiopia: Government debtGovernment debt: 260.4% of GDP in Eritrea in 2019 and 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Eritrea, by 205.7 percentage points, or 4.76 times that in Ethiopia.
EritreaEthiopiaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Eritrea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Ethiopia at 27.5% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearEritreaEthiopia
2024–33.5
2023–38.7
2022–47
2021–53.8
2020–53.3
2019260.454.7
2018267.158.5
2017290.455.3
2016251.251.8
2015271.450.7
2014204.544.2
2013232.444.1
2012171.639.4
2011171.644.6
2010201.839.4
2009207.130
2008259.756.1
2007201.355.7
200619979.6
2005205.478.2
2004193.5103.1
2003264103.7
2002243.4107.4
2001238.697.3
2000219.193.6
1999–97.8
1998–89.3
1997–80.3
1996–132.8
1995–146.6
1994–155.2
1993–141
1992–87.9
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2025–2031
YearEritreaEthiopia
2025–43.3
2026–40.7
2027–37
2028–34.2
2029–31.8
2030–29.7
2031–27.5

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
  • Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
  • The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Eritrea vs Ethiopia

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