Ethiopia: Taxes on international trade (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ethiopia's taxes on international trade (current LCU) rose 16% on 2023 (from 87.93 billion to 101.99 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +20.8% and a typical year strayed about 23.7% 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 74.2% in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 34% in 2014. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 7.58 billion a year. A straight line explains 89% 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 2024, Ethiopia had the 23rd highest value of the 68 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

• Rwanda — 19th of 68: 194.49 billion
• Mexico — 20th of 68: 139.99 billion
• Thailand — 21st of 68: 106.56 billion
• United States — 23rd of 68: 83.59 billion
• South Africa — 24th of 68: 77.86 billion
• Brazil — 25th of 68: 77.5 billion

What this measures

Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. 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.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 34 values

Taxes on international trade (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 487.55 billion (2024)
• Botswana — 24.21 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 525.93 billion (2024)
• Burundi — 140.93 billion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 6.59 billion (2020)
• Cameroon — 398.08 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1.52 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 111.9 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 1.75 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 25.61 billion (2022)

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
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ethiopia's taxes on international trade (current LCU)?

101.99 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 22,439% from 452.5 million in 1990 (17.27% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 101.99 billion in 2024 and the lowest 426 million in 1992.

How does Ethiopia rank?

23rd highest of 68 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in taxes on international trade (current LCU) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2024, Ethiopia's taxes on international trade (current LCU) rose 16% on 2023 (from 87.93 billion to 101.99 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +20.8% and a typical year strayed about 23.7% 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 GC.TAX.INTT.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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