Ethiopia

Country profile

Ethiopia is one of the least developed countries in the world, according to the Human Development Index. The country’s economy and people’s livelihoods are closely linked to the agricultural sector, which accounts for 85 per cent of total employment and 41 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Ethiopia experienes a wide range of hazards associated with the country’s diverse geoclimatic conditions. these include floods, drought, heat waves, frost and hail, crop pests, disease, landslides, earthquakes and wildfires, as well as conflict. Of these, drought and floods are the most common and cause the highest impacts. Combined, they are estimated to put 7 million people at risk of food insecurity. Climate change is expected to further increase Ethiopia's exposure to climate-related and hydrological hazards, adding to the pressure on livelihoods and the country’s agriculture-dependent economy.

Drought, and a lack of or erratic rainfall, affect most of central and eastern Ethiopia. Lowland regions are particularly affected. On average, around 1.5 million people are affected by drought and water scarcity each year. Because most cereal crops are rainfed in Ethiopia, the agricultural sector is highly vulnerable to rainfall variability. Therefore, droughts often result in the loss of livestock and agricultural income, which in turn lead to food insecurity and severe food crises.

Large-scale riverine flooding occurs in lowland areas. In combination with highland flash floods, flood events cause the highest economic damage in Ethiopia. The impacts are mostly associated with damage to housing and infrastructure, the displacement of people, and the loss of crops and livestock. Both types of flood are becoming increasingly common in Ethiopia, exacerbated by deforestation, land degradation, increasing climate variability and shifting settlement patterns.