Economy · Current account balance · Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s current account balance rose to −2.5% of GDP in 2024.
−2.5% of GDP
2024
Up 0.99 pp from 2023.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
−2.5% of GDP
What it is. The current account balance adds up what Ethiopia earns from the rest of the world and what it pays out. It covers trade in goods and services, income from work and investment across borders, and one-way transfers such as remittances. A negative figure means the country spends more abroad than it receives. Loans, aid and foreign investment sit in the financial account, which pays for any gap.
Higher is better. A higher balance is better because a smaller deficit, or a surplus, means less borrowing from abroad and less strain on foreign currency reserves. The latest figure, for 2024, is −2.5% of GDP, up from −3.5% of GDP a year earlier, an improvement of 0.99 percentage points. Since 2015 the weakest reading was −12.2% of GDP in 2015. The 2024 figure is the highest in that span, so the deficit is at its narrowest in the period.
Why it matters. A deficit of −2.5% of GDP means Ethiopia still relies on outside financing to cover its imports, such as fuel, fertiliser and machinery. The smaller gap eases pressure on the state to find foreign currency and on firms that need it to buy inputs. Households benefit when imported goods are easier to pay for and the currency comes under less strain.
| Period | Current account balance · Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| 2015 | −12.2% of GDP |
| 2016 | −11.5% of GDP |
| 2017 | −7.8% of GDP |
| 2018 | −5.5% of GDP |
| 2019 | −5.5% of GDP |
| 2020 | −2.8% of GDP |
| 2021 | −4.1% of GDP |
| 2022 | −4.2% of GDP |
| 2023 | −3.5% of GDP |
| 2024 | −2.5% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Current account balance, Ethiopia, 2024; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/current-account-balance/ethiopia
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Methodology
Current account balance as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP. A negative value is a deficit.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series BN.CAB.XOKA.GD.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.