Ethiopia vs Sudan
Ethiopia vs Sudan: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 4.1% of government spending in Ethiopia in 2025 and 9.5% of government spending in Sudan in 2021, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Sudan, by 6.3 percentage points, or 2.95 times that in Ethiopia.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Sudan has been higher since 1998, when it overtook Ethiopia.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Ethiopia | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.1 | – |
| 2024 | 5.2 | – |
| 2023 | 7.1 | – |
| 2022 | 6.8 | – |
| 2021 | 3.2 | 9.5 |
| 2020 | 3.2 | 9.1 |
| 2019 | 3.6 | 8.8 |
| 2018 | 3.9 | 10.6 |
| 2017 | 3.8 | 25.7 |
| 2016 | 3.8 | 22.8 |
| 2015 | 3.9 | 21.9 |
| 2014 | 4.2 | – |
| 2013 | 4.5 | – |
| 2012 | 5.2 | – |
| 2011 | 5.8 | – |
| 2010 | 5.9 | – |
| 2009 | 6.9 | 29.1 |
| 2008 | 8 | 25.3 |
| 2007 | 9.1 | 20.9 |
| 2006 | 10.3 | 19.3 |
| 2005 | 12.1 | 16.8 |
| 2004 | 13.3 | 28.2 |
| 2003 | 12 | 14.9 |
| 2002 | 14.8 | 25.4 |
| 2001 | 19.2 | 25 |
| 2000 | 29.5 | 43.2 |
| 1999 | 36.2 | 47.8 |
| 1998 | 28.8 | 30.5 |
| 1997 | 15.1 | 12.9 |
| 1996 | 7.9 | 13.6 |
| 1995 | 9 | 16.1 |
| 1994 | 11.5 | 19.4 |
| 1993 | 15.7 | 20.8 |
| 1992 | 17 | 11.8 |
| 1991 | 22.6 | 11.7 |
| 1990 | 30.8 | 17.1 |
| 1989 | 28.2 | – |
| 1988 | 26 | – |
- Estimate
- Highly uncertain
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 150 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 Sudan
Health
- Life expectancyEthiopia: 67.3 years in 2023Sudan: 66.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEthiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024Sudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEthiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEthiopia: 3.82% in 2017Sudan: 3.78% in 2017
- Suicide rateEthiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Sudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEthiopia: 129 million people in 2023Sudan: 50 million people in 2023
- Population growthEthiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023Sudan: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEthiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023Sudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEthiopia: 24.1% in 2025Sudan: 34.9% in 2025
- Median ageEthiopia: 18.7 years in 2023Sudan: 18.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEthiopia: 3.2% in 2023Sudan: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateEthiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Sudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEthiopia: 0.49% of GDP in 2025Sudan: 0.93% of GDP in 2021
- Military spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Armed forces personnelEthiopia: 138,000 people in 2020Sudan: 144,000 people in 2020
- National powerEthiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022Sudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEthiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020Sudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEthiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025Sudan: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsEthiopia: 17 million TIV in 1997Sudan: 11 million TIV in 2013