# Ethiopia and Somalia compared

Ethiopia and Somalia side by side: 36 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/eth-vs-som
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Ethiopia: 1st century CE — The Kingdom of Aksum rises on the Ethiopian plateau
- Somalia: 1 July 1960 — The Somali Republic is formed by union

## Economy

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $150 B | 2024 | $12 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $1,134 | 2024 | $630 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 7.6% | 2024 | 4.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 21.0% | 2024 | — | — |
| Trade openness | 17.4% | 2024 | 130.3% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 132 m | 2024 | 19 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 67.6 yrs | 2024 | 59.0 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 23.6% | 2024 | 54.6% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 3.9 | 2024 | 6.0 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 35.1 | 2024 | 29.3 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 33.7 | 2024 | 27.2 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 38.8 | 2024 | 13.4 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 41.7 | 2024 | 27.6 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 38.9 | 2024 | 19.0 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 39.0 | 2024 | 11.7 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 2.8% | 2023 | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.14 | 2023 | 0.05 | 2014 |
| Under-5 mortality | 44.5 | 2024 | 101.1 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 72.0% | 2024 | 64.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 13.5% | 2024 | — | — |

## Education

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 60.5% | 2022 | 54.1% | 2022 |
| Education spending | 2.3% | 2024 | — | — |
| Primary enrolment | 84.4% | 2024 | 20.9% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 33.9% | 2015 | 3.3% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 5.9% | 2014 | — | — |

## Technology

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.3% | 2017 | — | — |
| Researchers (per million) | 89 | 2017 | — | — |
| Internet users | 21.9% | 2024 | 27.9% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 65 | 2024 | 54 | 2023 |
| High-tech exports | 3.8% | 2023 | — | — |

## Geography

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,128,499 km² | 2023 | 627,340 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 14.9% | 2023 | 9.2% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 34.1% | 2023 | 70.3% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.1 | 2024 | 0.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 90.6% | 2021 | 95.4% | 2022 |

## Resources

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 5.9% | 2021 | 11.2% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.3% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 5.6% | 2021 | 11.2% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 55.4% | 2023 | 50.3% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Ethiopia | Observed | Somalia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.7% | 2024 | 1.6% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $922 M | 2024 | $202 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 138,000 | 2020 | 14,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/ETH.md and https://terralore.co/country/SOM.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1529–1543: **Wars of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi** — From the Adal Sultanate, Imam Ahmad 'Gurey' launches the Futuh al-Habasha campaigns against Christian Ethiopia, conquering much of the highlands before his defeat and death in 1543 with Portuguese intervention. (from the Somalia chronicle; sources: Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi; Adal Sultanate; Ethiopian–Adal War)
- 1936: **Italian Somaliland joins Italian East Africa** — After Fascist Italy's conquest of Ethiopia, Italian Somaliland is merged into the new colony of Italian East Africa; Britain takes control of the region during the Second World War, holding both Somalilands by 1941. (from the Somalia chronicle; sources: Italian Somaliland; Somalia (country and history))
- 1977–1978: **The Ogaden War** — Somalia invades Ethiopia to annex the Somali-inhabited Ogaden; initial gains are reversed in 1978 when the Soviet Union and Cuba back Ethiopia, inflicting a costly defeat on Somalia. (from the Somalia chronicle; sources: Mohamed Siad Barre; History of Somalia)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/ETH/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/SOM/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Ethiopia and Somalia compared", terralore.co/compare/eth-vs-som, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.