Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia
Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia: Inflation
Inflation: 26.6% a year in Ethiopia in 2024 and 2% a year in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Ethiopia, by 25.1 percentage points, or 18 times that in Saudi Arabia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Ethiopia has been higher since 2011, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Ethiopia at 6.7% a year and Saudi Arabia at 2% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Ethiopia | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | 2 |
| 2024 | 26.6 | 1.5 |
| 2023 | 32.5 | 2.5 |
| 2022 | 33.9 | 2.5 |
| 2021 | 20.2 | 3.1 |
| 2020 | 19.9 | 3.2 |
| 2019 | 12.6 | -2 |
| 2018 | 14.5 | 2.5 |
| 2017 | 6.9 | -0.9 |
| 2016 | 9.7 | 2.9 |
| 2015 | 7.7 | 1.2 |
| 2014 | 8.1 | 1.8 |
| 2013 | 13.5 | 3.1 |
| 2012 | 34.1 | 2.9 |
| 2011 | 18.1 | 3.7 |
| 2010 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
| 2009 | 36.4 | 4.3 |
| 2008 | 25.3 | 6.1 |
| 2007 | 15.8 | 5 |
| 2006 | 12.3 | 1.9 |
| 2005 | 6.8 | 0.6 |
| 2004 | 8.6 | 0.3 |
| 2003 | 15.1 | 0.5 |
| 2002 | -7.2 | 0.1 |
| 2001 | -5.2 | -1.1 |
| 2000 | 6.2 | -1 |
| 1999 | 4.8 | -2.1 |
| 1998 | 3.6 | -0.4 |
| 1997 | -6.4 | -0.2 |
| 1996 | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| 1995 | 13.4 | 5.1 |
| 1994 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| 1993 | 10 | 1.2 |
| 1992 | 21 | -1 |
| 1991 | 20.9 | 3.9 |
| 1990 | 5.2 | -1.1 |
| 1989 | 9.6 | 1.2 |
| 1988 | 2.2 | -0.4 |
| 1987 | -9.1 | -2.4 |
| 1986 | 5.6 | -3.1 |
| 1985 | 18.4 | -2.3 |
| 1984 | -0.3 | -0.7 |
| 1983 | 3.6 | 0.6 |
| 1982 | 7.8 | 1.9 |
| 1981 | – | 3.6 |
| 1980 | – | 4.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Ethiopia | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11.7 | 1.9 |
| 2027 | 12.3 | 2.2 |
| 2028 | 9.2 | 2 |
| 2029 | 7.8 | 2 |
| 2030 | 6.8 | 2 |
| 2031 | 6.7 | 2 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much consumer prices rose in a year, on average.
- 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 179 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 Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyEthiopia: 67.3 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEthiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEthiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEthiopia: 3.82% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateEthiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEthiopia: 129 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthEthiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEthiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEthiopia: 24.1% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageEthiopia: 18.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEthiopia: 3.2% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateEthiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEthiopia: 0.49% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEthiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEthiopia: 138,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerEthiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEthiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEthiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsEthiopia: 17 million TIV in 1997Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023