Ethiopia vs Nigeria: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
Ethiopia
9.5%
in 2024
Nigeria
12.3%
in 2024
Ethiopia rank
148th
Nigeria rank
146th
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- Ethiopia
- Nigeria
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 12.3% against 9.5% in Ethiopia, a difference of 2.8%.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.3 times Ethiopia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Ethiopia ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 148th and Nigeria ranks 146th of 151 countries.
Ethiopia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.6% | 12.8% | 5.8% | Ethiopia |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 13.8% | 8.6% | Ethiopia |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 9.5% | 7.8% | Ethiopia |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 10.2% | 2.0% | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita, Ethiopia or Nigeria?
- Nigeria, at 12.3% against 9.5% in Ethiopia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita between Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 2.8%, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Ethiopia and Nigeria rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Ethiopia ranks 148th and Nigeria ranks 146th of 151 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.