Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (current LCU) was -1.04 trillion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 282.96% from -271.66 billion in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | -1.04 trillion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | -329.1 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | -271.66 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | -76.54 billion | 2011 |
| Lowest | -1.04 trillion | 2025 |
| Average since 2016 | -503.58 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | -76.54 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (current LCU) fell 295.34 billion on 2024 (from -745.01 billion to -1.04 trillion).
Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2024), the average change was −51.42 billion and a typical year strayed about 63.2 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 18.96 billion in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 295.34 billion in 2025. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 74.87 billion a year. A straight line explains 81% of the movement over 10 observed years.
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 114th highest value of the 137 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
- Armenia — 111th of 137: -623.38 billion
- Kyrgyz Republic — 112th of 137: -766.53 billion
- Mali — 113th of 137: -808.18 billion
- Kenya — 115th of 137: -1.05 trillion
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 116th of 137: -1.22 trillion
- Sri Lanka — 117th of 137: -1.27 trillion
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 current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.
All 15 values
| Year | External balance on goods and services (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -1,040,348,641,045 |
| 2024 | -745,007,508,539 |
| 2023 | -646,065,861,927 |
| 2022 | -622,325,175,118 |
| 2021 | -394,236,152,383 |
| 2020 | -329,095,688,079 |
| 2019 | -348,058,478,380 |
| 2018 | -318,005,708,500 |
| 2017 | -290,403,104,100 |
| 2016 | -302,249,151,500 |
External balance on goods and services (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Angola — 14.62 trillion (2025)
- Benin — -430.6 billion (2025)
- Botswana — -14.74 billion (2025)
- Burkina Faso — 800.13 billion (2025)
- Cabo Verde — -34.03 billion (2025)
- Cameroon — -2.47 trillion (2025)
- Central African Republic — -253.67 billion (2025)
- Chad — 1.59 trillion (2025)
- Comoros — -176.53 billion (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 (current LCU)?
- -1.04 trillion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2011?
- It is down 1,259% from -76.54 billion in 2011. The highest value was -76.54 billion in 2011 and the lowest -1.04 trillion in 2025.
- How does Ethiopia rank?
- 114th highest of 137 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in external balance on goods and services (current LCU) unusual for Ethiopia?
- In 2025, Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services (current LCU) fell 295.34 billion on 2024 (from -745.01 billion to -1.04 trillion). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2024), the average change was −51.42 billion and a typical year strayed about 63.2 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.RSB.GNFS.CN, 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.
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