Ethiopia: Battle-related deaths (number of people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ethiopia's battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 67.3% on 2023 (from 1,688 to 2,824).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2023), the average change was +1,222.1% and a typical year strayed about 5,776.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 31,117.9% in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 99.9% in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 10% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Ethiopia had the 6th highest value of the 35 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ethiopia in the 2024 ranking

• Russian Federation — 3rd of 35: 7,670
• Sudan — 4th of 35: 4,680
• Lebanon — 5th of 35: 4,335
• Syrian Arab Republic — 7th of 35: 2,732
• Myanmar — 8th of 35: 2,332
• Somalia, Fed. Rep. — 9th of 35: 2,284

What this measures

Battle-related deaths are deaths in battle-related conflicts between warring parties in the conflict dyad (two conflict units that are parties to a conflict). Battle-related deaths refer to those deaths caused by the warring parties that can be directly related to combat. This includes battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities (e.g. hit and-run attacks/ambushes) and all kinds of bombardments of military bases, cities and villages etc. The target for the attacks is either the military forces or representatives for the parties, though there is often substantial collateral damage in the form of civilians being killed in the crossfire, indiscriminate bombings, etc. All fatalities, military as well as civilian, incurred in such situations are counted as battle-related deaths.

Limitations: While the best estimate for battle-related deaths is considered a conservative minimum, the high estimate may still undercount actual fatalities due to unreported events, and users are cautioned that the apparent precision of the numbers does not eliminate underlying uncertainty.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 33 values

Battle-related deaths (number of people) in nearby economies

• Angola — 25 (2024)
• Burundi — 19 (2024)
• Cameroon — 231 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 177 (2024)
• Chad — 69 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1,138 (2024)
• Kenya — 66 (2024)
• Mali — 1,008 (2024)
• Mozambique — 151 (2024)
• Niger — 952 (2024)
• Nigeria

More public sector data for Ethiopia

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 528.11 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 73.34 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.49% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 63 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 4.11% (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 253.89 billion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 2.15% (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 174.8 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.48% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Ethiopia's battle-related deaths (number of people)?

2,824 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is down 88.41% from 24,358 in 1989 (5.97% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 163,210 in 2022 and the lowest 25 in 2014.

How does Ethiopia rank?

6th highest of 35 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in battle-related deaths (number of people) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2024, Ethiopia's battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 67.3% on 2023 (from 1,688 to 2,824). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2023), the average change was +1,222.1% and a typical year strayed about 5,776.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.BTL.DETH, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UCDP Battle-related Deaths Dataset , Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), uri: https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/, publisher: Uppsala University Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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