Ethiopia vs Nigeria
Ethiopia vs Nigeria: Government debt
Government debt: 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2024 and 36.1% of GDP in Nigeria in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 5.9 percentage points, or 1.17 times that in Ethiopia.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Nigeria has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Ethiopia.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Ethiopia at 27.5% of GDP and Nigeria at 31.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Ethiopia | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43.3 | 36.1 |
| 2024 | 33.5 | 39.3 |
| 2023 | 38.7 | 36.3 |
| 2022 | 47 | 29.8 |
| 2021 | 53.8 | 26.6 |
| 2020 | 53.3 | 25.7 |
| 2019 | 54.7 | 21.4 |
| 2018 | 58.5 | 20.4 |
| 2017 | 55.3 | 18 |
| 2016 | 51.8 | 17.4 |
| 2015 | 50.7 | 14.9 |
| 2014 | 44.2 | 15.8 |
| 2013 | 44.1 | 13 |
| 2012 | 39.4 | 12.5 |
| 2011 | 44.6 | 12.4 |
| 2010 | 39.4 | 6.7 |
| 2009 | 30 | 6.1 |
| 2008 | 56.1 | 5.2 |
| 2007 | 55.7 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 79.6 | 6.7 |
| 2005 | 78.2 | 13.5 |
| 2004 | 103.1 | 25.2 |
| 2003 | 103.7 | 29.9 |
| 2002 | 107.4 | 30.7 |
| 2001 | 97.3 | 37.7 |
| 2000 | 93.6 | 40.9 |
| 1999 | 97.8 | 46.1 |
| 1998 | 89.3 | 15.8 |
| 1997 | 80.3 | 17.1 |
| 1996 | 132.8 | 17.9 |
| 1995 | 146.6 | 24.2 |
| 1994 | 155.2 | 39.7 |
| 1993 | 141 | 50.4 |
| 1992 | 87.9 | 49.8 |
| 1991 | – | 53.2 |
| 1990 | – | 50.9 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Ethiopia | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40.7 | 34.7 |
| 2027 | 37 | 32.8 |
| 2028 | 34.2 | 32.9 |
| 2029 | 31.8 | 32.5 |
| 2030 | 29.7 | 32.2 |
| 2031 | 27.5 | 31.9 |
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.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Ethiopia vs Nigeria
Health
- Life expectancyEthiopia: 67.3 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEthiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEthiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterEthiopia: 13.2% in 2022Nigeria: 29% in 2022
- DepressionEthiopia: 3.82% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateEthiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEthiopia: 129 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthEthiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEthiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEthiopia: 24.1% in 2025Nigeria: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageEthiopia: 18.7 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEthiopia: 3.2% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateEthiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEthiopia: 0.49% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEthiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEthiopia: 138,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerEthiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEthiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEthiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsEthiopia: 17 million TIV in 1997Nigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022