Ethiopia vs Sudan
Ethiopia vs Sudan: Military spending
Military spending: 0.49% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2025 and 0.93% of GDP in Sudan in 2021, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Sudan, by 0.48 percentage points, or 2.09 times that in Ethiopia.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Sudan has been higher since 2004, when it overtook Ethiopia.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Ethiopia | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.49 | – |
| 2024 | 0.49 | – |
| 2023 | 0.77 | – |
| 2022 | 0.86 | – |
| 2021 | 0.44 | 0.93 |
| 2020 | 0.47 | 0.98 |
| 2019 | 0.56 | 1.63 |
| 2018 | 0.63 | 1.78 |
| 2017 | 0.68 | 3.29 |
| 2016 | 0.68 | 2.28 |
| 2015 | 0.67 | 2.71 |
| 2014 | 0.73 | – |
| 2013 | 0.81 | – |
| 2012 | 0.87 | – |
| 2011 | 1.06 | – |
| 2010 | 1.11 | – |
| 2009 | 1.21 | 5.45 |
| 2008 | 1.53 | 4.98 |
| 2007 | 1.91 | 4.08 |
| 2006 | 2.31 | 3.64 |
| 2005 | 2.81 | 3.31 |
| 2004 | 3.13 | 4.66 |
| 2003 | 3.3 | 1.86 |
| 2002 | 3.76 | 2.67 |
| 2001 | 4.39 | 2.47 |
| 2000 | 7.69 | 4.47 |
| 1999 | 9.51 | 4.01 |
| 1998 | 7.28 | 2.38 |
| 1997 | 3.34 | 0.95 |
| 1996 | 2.12 | 1.27 |
| 1995 | 2.23 | 2.07 |
| 1994 | 2.87 | 3.9 |
| 1993 | 3.07 | 4.92 |
| 1992 | 3.44 | 4.39 |
| 1991 | 5.71 | 4.99 |
| 1990 | 9.66 | 4.81 |
| 1989 | 10.28 | – |
| 1988 | 8.5 | 3.55 |
| 1987 | 6.86 | 2.55 |
| 1986 | 6.7 | 3.23 |
| 1985 | 6.82 | 3.4 |
| 1984 | 7.97 | 4.09 |
| 1983 | 7.18 | 3.27 |
| 1982 | 7.54 | 2.44 |
| 1981 | 7.54 | 1.78 |
| 1980 | 8.71 | 2.3 |
| 1979 | 6.89 | 2.59 |
| 1978 | 4.81 | 2.04 |
| 1977 | 3.97 | 2.62 |
| 1976 | 4.13 | 2.67 |
| 1975 | 4.49 | 2.25 |
| 1974 | 2.8 | 2.57 |
| 1973 | 1.93 | 3.16 |
| 1972 | 1.94 | 4.19 |
| 1971 | 1.91 | 4.6 |
| 1970 | 1.88 | 4.95 |
| 1969 | 2.02 | 5.2 |
| 1968 | 2.2 | 3.75 |
| 1967 | 2.49 | 3.66 |
| 1966 | 3.11 | 3.53 |
| 1965 | 3.23 | 4.12 |
| 1964 | 2.92 | 3.14 |
| 1963 | 2.43 | 2.15 |
| 1962 | 1.93 | 2.06 |
| 1961 | 1.86 | 1.85 |
| 1960 | – | 1.92 |
| 1959 | – | 1.71 |
| 1958 | – | 1.52 |
| 1957 | – | 1.64 |
| 1956 | – | 1.12 |
- Estimate
- Highly uncertain
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, 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 151 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 spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Military share of state spendingEthiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Sudan: 9.5% of government spending 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