Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (constant LCU) was -286.81 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 32.19% from -216.97 billion in 2020.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | -286.81 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | -216.97 billion | 2020 |
| Highest | -216.81 billion | 2019 |
| Lowest | -327.95 billion | 2024 |
| Average since 2016 | -258.73 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | -302.25 billion | 2016 |
Over five years it is down 32.19% from -216.97 billion in 2020. Since 2016 it is up 5.11% from -302.25 billion in 2016.
What the numbers say
In 2025, Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (constant LCU) rose 41.14 billion on 2024 (from -327.95 billion to -286.81 billion).
Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2017 to 2024), the average change was −3.21 billion and a typical year strayed about 39.33 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 41.14 billion in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 81.82 billion in 2024. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 8% of the movement over 10 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 2025, Ethiopia had the 73rd highest value of the 95 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 2025 ranking
What this measures
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed in constant prices, meaning the series has been adjusted to account for price changes over time. The reference year for this adjustment varies by country. This series is expressed in local currency units.
All 10 values
| Year | External balance on goods and services (constant LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -286,808,616,055 |
| 2024 | -327,946,776,700 |
| 2023 | -246,123,108,200 |
| 2022 | -262,518,704,400 |
| 2021 | -238,667,961,200 |
| 2020 | -216,967,972,800 |
| 2019 | -216,813,525,100 |
| 2018 | -228,090,567,700 |
| 2017 | -261,136,013,900 |
| 2016 | -302,249,000,000 |
External balance on goods and services (constant LCU) in nearby economies
- Angola — -919.98 billion (2024)
- Benin — -317.3 billion (2025)
- Botswana — 17.96 billion (2025)
- Burkina Faso — -1.52 trillion (2025)
- Cabo Verde — -40.77 billion (2025)
- Cameroon — -2.13 trillion (2025)
- Central African Republic — -121.1 billion (2025)
- Comoros — -128.55 billion (2025)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5.24 trillion (2025)
More economic policy & debt data for Ethiopia
- GDP (current US$) — US$126.36 billion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 15.09 trillion (2025)
- GDP per capita (current US$) — US$932.73 (2025)
- GDP per capita (current LCU) — 111,421 (2025)
- GNI (current US$) — US$126.14 billion (2025)
- GNI (current LCU) — 15.07 trillion (2025)
- GNI per capita (current LCU) — 111,231 (2025)
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$3.78 billion (2024)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$3.78 billion (2024)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$128.07 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (constant LCU)?
- -286.81 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2016?
- It is up 5.11% from -302.25 billion in 2016. The highest value was -216.81 billion in 2019 and the lowest -327.95 billion in 2024.
- How does Ethiopia rank?
- 73rd highest of 95 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in external balance on goods and services (constant LCU) unusual for Ethiopia?
- In 2025, Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (constant LCU) rose 41.14 billion on 2024 (from -327.95 billion to -286.81 billion). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2017 to 2024), the average change was −3.21 billion and a typical year strayed about 39.33 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.RSB.GNFS.KN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in