This article presents Ethiopia's external balance on goods and services in current US dollars and as a share of GDP.
The external balance on goods and services in Ethiopia was -$8.71 billion in 2025, equivalent to -6.9% of GDP. The result represented a deficit. Exports were valued at $16.79 billion, while imports reached $25.49 billion, producing an export-to-import ratio of 65.8%. The external balance changed by $913.7 million over five years and by $4.29 billion over ten years.
In the common comparison year 2025, Ethiopia ranked 120th of 194 economies by the external balance as a share of GDP.
Ethiopia Trade Balance by Year
Data source: World Bank, World Development Indicators — External balance on goods and services, current US$ (NE.RSB.GNFS.CD); External balance on goods and services, % of GDP (NE.RSB.GNFS.ZS); Exports of goods and services, current US$ (NE.EXP.GNFS.CD); Imports of goods and services, current US$ (NE.IMP.GNFS.CD); Trade, % of GDP (NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS).
License: CC BY-4.0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
About the Indicators
External balance on goods and services, current US$. Exports minus imports of goods and services, in current U.S. dollars.
External balance on goods and services, % of GDP. Exports minus imports of goods and services, expressed as a share of GDP; positive values indicate a surplus, negative values a deficit.
Exports of goods and services, current US$. The total value of goods and services a country sells abroad, in current U.S. dollars.
Imports of goods and services, current US$. The total value of goods and services a country purchases from abroad, converted to current U.S. dollars.
Trade, % of GDP. The sum of exports and imports of goods and services, expressed as a share of GDP; a common measure of an economy’s trade openness.