Ethiopia vs Somalia
Ethiopia vs Somalia: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2022: 60.5% in Ethiopia and 54.1% in Somalia, by UNESCO estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Ethiopia, by 6.3 percentage points, or 1.12 times that in Somalia.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Ethiopia has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Somalia.
- The world as a whole: 87.4% in 2022.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Ethiopia | Somalia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 60.5 | 54.1 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 54.9 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 55.1 | 63.7 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 47.5 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 48.4 | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 39 | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | 35.9 | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | 27 | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Ethiopia vs Somalia
Health
- Life expectancyEthiopia: 67.3 years in 2023Somalia: 58.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEthiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024Somalia: 10.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEthiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023Somalia: 66.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEthiopia: 3.82% in 2017Somalia: 3.79% in 2017
- Suicide rateEthiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Somalia: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEthiopia: 129 million people in 2023Somalia: 18.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthEthiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023Somalia: 3.57% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEthiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023Somalia: 6.13 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEthiopia: 24.1% in 2025Somalia: 55.1% in 2025
- Median ageEthiopia: 18.7 years in 2023Somalia: 15.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEthiopia: 3.2% in 2023Somalia: 2.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateEthiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Somalia: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEthiopia: 0.49% of GDP in 2025Somalia: 1.54% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Somalia: $193M in 2025
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Somalia: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEthiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Somalia: 20.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEthiopia: 138,000 people in 2020Somalia: 14,000 people in 2020
- National powerEthiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022Somalia: 0.13% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEthiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020Somalia: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEthiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025Somalia: 2 million TIV in 2025