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Country · ETH

Ethiopia · Finances and debt

Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026) · copied on 2026-11-11

Public finances and external accounts

A fiscal deficit of 1.2 % of GDP

Ethiopia: in 2025, the general government spent 1.2 % of GDP more than it collected, public debt stood at 43.3 % of GDP, the current account showed a deficit of 0.8 % (IMF).

Fiscal balance · 2025
−1.2 %
of GDP · +1.6 pt since 2020
Public debt · 2025
43.3 %
of GDP · −9.9 pt since 2020
Current account · 2025
−0.8 %
of GDP · +3.3 pt since 2020

Fiscal balance, % of GDP

Negative: a deficit · dashed: estimates and projections

−6 % −4 % −2 % 0 % 2015 2020 2025 2030 Ethiopia −1.6 East Africa −3.5 −6 % −4 % −2 % 0 % 2015 2020 2025 2030
Chart data as a table
Ethiopia: in 2025, the general government spent 1.2 % of GDP more than it collected, public debt stood at 43.3 % of GDP, the current account showed a deficit of 0.8 % (IMF).
Year EthiopiaEast Africa
2015 −1.9 % −4.3 %
2016 −2.3 % −3.7 %
2017 −3.2 % −4.0 %
2018 −3.0 % −4.1 %
2019 −2.5 % −4.7 %
2020 −2.8 % −5.3 %
2021 −2.8 % −4.6 %
2022 −4.2 % −4.4 %
2023 −2.6 % −3.7 %
2024 −2.0 % −3.3 %
2025 · estimate −1.2 % −3.7 %
2026 · projection −2.0 % −4.1 %
2027 · projection −1.2 % −3.8 %
2028 · projection −1.4 % −3.6 %
2029 · projection −1.5 % −3.7 %
2030 · projection −1.6 % −3.5 %
  • Ethiopia
  • East Africa

Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026) · general government net lending or borrowing · group values weighted by GDP in dollars (Syli Atlas)

Current account, % of GDP

Trade, income and transfers with the rest of the world

−15 % −10 % −5 % 0 % 2015 2020 2025 2030 Ethiopia −2.0 −15 % −10 % −5 % 0 % 2015 2020 2025 2030
Chart data as a table
Current account balance of Ethiopia, % of GDP
Year Ethiopia
2015 −11.2 %
2016 −10.6 %
2017 −7.9 %
2018 −6.2 %
2019 −5.1 %
2020 −4.1 %
2021 −2.8 %
2022 −4.0 %
2023 −2.9 %
2024 −2.9 %
2025 · estimate −0.8 %
2026 · projection −2.5 %
2027 · projection −1.3 %
2028 · projection −1.5 %
2029 · projection −2.0 %
2030 · projection −2.0 %

Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Currency

Birr

The birr has no fixed peg: its value against the dollar and the euro moves with the market and the central bank's policy.

Currency
ETB
birr
Exchange regime
—
no fixed peg
Inflation · 2025
16.0 %
average annual change in consumer prices

Currency codes: ISO 4217 · fixed parities: central banks (BCEAO, BEAC, Central Bank of the Comoros, Bank of Cape Verde…) · inflation: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Debt

A debt owed first to multilateral lenders

At the end of 2025, Ethiopia owed 36.3 bn$ in public external debt (World Bank). 16.8 % of it was owed to China, 47.1 % to multilateral institutions and 2.8 % to bond holders.

Debt of the 54 countries →
Public debt · 2025
43.3 %
of GDP · IMF
External debt · 2025
40.0 bn$
public and private · World Bank
Public external debt · 2025
36.3 bn$
owed or guaranteed by the State
Debt service · 2024
8.1 %
of exports of goods, services and income

Risk of debt distress

IMF and World Bank debt sustainability analysis

Latest analysis published on 2026-01-30: in debt distress. The debt is being restructured under an IMF programme.

Source: IMF, list of debt sustainability analyses of low-income countries, as of 2026-03-31 · imf.org

Public external debt by creditor

Share of the total at the end of each year

2015
2020
2025
Multilateral (IMF, World Bank, AfDB…)
47.1 %
China
16.8 %
Other countries
17.4 %
Bonds (Eurobonds)
2.8 %
Banks and other private lenders
16.0 %

Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics (updated 2026-11-05) · public and publicly guaranteed external debt, end of year · CC BY 4.0 · shares: Syli Atlas calculation