Current account balance in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Current account balance was -2.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in Ethiopia, 1977–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, current account balance in Ethiopia stood at -2.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.1% on the previous year and up 75.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in Ethiopia peaked at 1.8% in 1994 and was at its lowest, -12.6%, in 2005.
Ethiopia ranks 111th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | -1.5% | — |
| 1978 | -1.9% | +27.2% |
| 1979 | -1.4% | -25.3% |
| 1980 | -3.2% | +132.5% |
| 1981 | -3.3% | +3.1% |
| 1982 | -2.5% | -25.8% |
| 1983 | -1.9% | -21.6% |
| 1984 | -1.6% | -19.0% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | -169.8% |
| 1986 | -3.2% | -396.3% |
| 1987 | -2.0% | -38.0% |
| 1988 | -2.0% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | -1.2% | -39.7% |
| 1990 | -2.4% | +91.8% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -131.7% |
| 1992 | -1.1% | -249.3% |
| 1993 | -0.6% | -50.5% |
| 1994 | 1.8% | -419.7% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -71.6% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +81.2% |
| 1997 | -0.5% | -150.3% |
| 1998 | -4.2% | +807.8% |
| 1999 | -5.9% | +42.0% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -102.8% |
| 2001 | -4.5% | -2878.4% |
| 2002 | -1.7% | -61.6% |
| 2003 | -1.6% | -9.1% |
| 2004 | -6.6% | +316.8% |
| 2005 | -12.6% | +91.8% |
| 2006 | -11.7% | -7.6% |
| 2007 | -4.2% | -64.1% |
| 2008 | -6.7% | +58.8% |
| 2009 | -6.8% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | -2.1% | -68.6% |
| 2011 | -3.3% | +55.7% |
| 2012 | -7.1% | +115.1% |
| 2013 | -6.4% | -10.4% |
| 2014 | -10.4% | +63.0% |
| 2015 | -12.2% | +17.4% |
| 2016 | -11.5% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | -7.8% | -32.8% |
| 2018 | -5.5% | -28.7% |
| 2019 | -5.5% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | -2.8% | -49.6% |
| 2021 | -4.1% | +50.0% |
| 2022 | -4.2% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | -3.5% | -15.9% |
| 2024 | -2.5% | -28.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -1.6% | -1.9% | -1.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | -2.0% | -3.3% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.1% | -5.9% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | -5.6% | -12.6% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | -7.2% | -12.2% | -2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | -3.4% | -4.2% | -2.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More economy & growth data for Ethiopia
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 11.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2018 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 188.22 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 8 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -39.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 20.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 39.2 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 36,567 current LCU per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 7.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3016 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in Ethiopia?
- Current account balance in Ethiopia was -2.5% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 1994.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was -12.6% in 2005.
- How does Ethiopia rank for current account balance?
- Ethiopia ranks 111th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. 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.