Ethiopia: Trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Ethiopia's trade (% of GDP) rose 16.06 percentage points on 2024 (from 17.4% to 33.46%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2024), the average change was −2.37 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 7.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 16.06 percentage points in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 6 percentage points in 2023. 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 30% 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 130th 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

• Angola — 126th of 137: 34.65%
• Niger — 127th of 137: 33.91%
• Russian Federation — 128th of 137: 33.71%
• Cameroon — 130th of 137: 33.38%
• Argentina — 131st of 137: 30.36%
• Turkmenistan — 132nd of 137: 28.17%

What this measures

Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

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

All 15 values

Trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 34.65% (2025)
• Benin — 37.12% (2025)
• Botswana — 69.54% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 65% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 95.33% (2025)
• Cameroon — 33.38% (2025)
• Central African Republic — 52.91% (2025)
• Chad — 46.13% (2025)
• Comoros — 40.89% (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 87.33% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 91.67% (2025)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 54.56% (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

• 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 trade (% of GDP)?

33.46% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is down 14.77 percentage points from 48.23% in 2011. The highest value was 48.23% in 2011 and the lowest 17.4% in 2024.

How does Ethiopia rank?

130th highest of 137 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in trade (% of GDP) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2025, Ethiopia's trade (% of GDP) rose 16.06 percentage points on 2024 (from 17.4% to 33.46%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2024), the average change was −2.37 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 7.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS, 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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