Ethiopia vs Japan
Ethiopia vs Japan: Government debt
Government debt in 2024: 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia and 213.6% of GDP in Japan, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Japan, by 180.1 percentage points, or 6.38 times that in Ethiopia.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher since 1997, when it overtook Ethiopia.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Ethiopia at 27.5% of GDP and Japan at 188.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Ethiopia | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 33.5 | 213.6 |
| 2023 | 38.7 | 220.1 |
| 2022 | 47 | 228 |
| 2021 | 53.8 | 222.6 |
| 2020 | 53.3 | 228.8 |
| 2019 | 54.7 | 206.3 |
| 2018 | 58.5 | 203.7 |
| 2017 | 55.3 | 203.1 |
| 2016 | 51.8 | 202.1 |
| 2015 | 50.7 | 200.1 |
| 2014 | 44.2 | 203.6 |
| 2013 | 44.1 | 201.2 |
| 2012 | 39.4 | 197.1 |
| 2011 | 44.6 | 190.6 |
| 2010 | 39.4 | 178.6 |
| 2009 | 30 | 172.9 |
| 2008 | 56.1 | 153.6 |
| 2007 | 55.7 | 150.4 |
| 2006 | 79.6 | 152.1 |
| 2005 | 78.2 | 153.4 |
| 2004 | 103.1 | 148.8 |
| 2003 | 103.7 | 140.2 |
| 2002 | 107.4 | 134.6 |
| 2001 | 97.3 | 126.8 |
| 2000 | 93.6 | 118.5 |
| 1999 | 97.8 | 113.5 |
| 1998 | 89.3 | 101.6 |
| 1997 | 80.3 | 91.3 |
| 1996 | 132.8 | 85.3 |
| 1995 | 146.6 | 80.7 |
| 1994 | 155.2 | 73.3 |
| 1993 | 141 | 63.2 |
| 1992 | 87.9 | 57.9 |
| 1991 | – | 54.1 |
| 1990 | – | 54.8 |
| 1989 | – | 56.9 |
| 1988 | – | 62.4 |
| 1987 | – | 65.8 |
| 1986 | – | 64.2 |
| 1985 | – | 59.2 |
| 1984 | – | 56.9 |
| 1983 | – | 55.1 |
| 1982 | – | 50.1 |
| 1981 | – | 45.8 |
| 1980 | – | 41.4 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2025–2031
| Year | Ethiopia | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43.3 | 204.8 |
| 2026 | 40.7 | 199.4 |
| 2027 | 37 | 196.4 |
| 2028 | 34.2 | 193.8 |
| 2029 | 31.8 | 191.5 |
| 2030 | 29.7 | 190.1 |
| 2031 | 27.5 | 188.9 |
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
Ethiopia vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyEthiopia: 67.3 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEthiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEthiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterEthiopia: 13.2% in 2022Japan: 98.7% in 2022
- DepressionEthiopia: 3.82% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateEthiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEthiopia: 129 million people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthEthiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEthiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEthiopia: 24.1% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageEthiopia: 18.7 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEthiopia: 3.2% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateEthiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEthiopia: 0.49% of GDP in 2025Japan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEthiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEthiopia: 138,000 people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- National powerEthiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEthiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEthiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsEthiopia: 17 million TIV in 1997Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025