Ethiopia: Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 13.7 percentage points from 41.4% in 2017. Since 2003 it is down 50.5 percentage points from 78.2% in 2003. The World Bank has no value for 5 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ethiopia's risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk) fell 1.4 percentage points on 2021 (from 29.1% to 27.7%).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2004 to 2021), the average change was −2.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.6 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 4.1 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.66 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 98% of the movement over 8 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 2022, Ethiopia had the 40th highest value of the 109 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 2022 ranking

• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 37th of 109: 29.8%
• Algeria — 38th of 109: 29.1%
• Cabo Verde — 39th of 109: 28%
• Namibia — 41st of 109: 26.9%
• Mongolia — 42nd of 109: 26.6%
• Lao PDR — 43rd of 109: 26%

What this measures

The proportion of population at risk of impoverishing expenditure when surgical care is required. Impoverishing expenditure is defined as direct out of pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care which drive people below a poverty threshold (using a threshold of $2.15 PPP/day).

Limitations: Prior to 2015, global data on surgery, anesthesia and obstetric care was virtually nonexistent. With the idea that “We can’t manage what we don’t measure”, the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery developed six Surgical, Obstetric and Anesthesia (SAO) indicators and collected data for them. The analysis of these data show large gaps in SAO care across countries by income groups.

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

All 15 values

Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk) in nearby economies

• Angola — 54.2% (2022)
• Benin — 63.9% (2019)
• Botswana — 37.5% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 82.2% (2022)
• Burundi — 100% (2022)
• Cabo Verde — 28% (2022)
• Cameroon — 50.5% (2022)
• Comoros — 45.8% (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More health data for Ethiopia

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 14.21% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 14.8% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 25.76 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 38.11% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 26.78 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 39.45% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 52.54 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 38.78% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.7% (2025)

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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ethiopia's risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk)?

27.7% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2003?

It is down 50.5 percentage points from 78.2% in 2003. The highest value was 78.2% in 2003 and the lowest 27.7% in 2022.

How does Ethiopia rank?

40th highest of 109 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2022, Ethiopia's risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk) fell 1.4 percentage points on 2021 (from 29.1% to 27.7%). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2004 to 2021), the average change was −2.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.6 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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 SH.SGR.IRSK.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School, uri: https://www.pgssc.org/ 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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