Share of the population using the Internet in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of the population using the Internet was 21.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population using the Internet in Ethiopia, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 21.9% for share of the population using the internet in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 185.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population using the internet in Ethiopia peaked at 21.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
That places Ethiopia 189th out of 208 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population using the Internet in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 0.0% | — |
| 1996 | 0.0% | +9614.3% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | +192.4% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | +94.4% |
| 1999 | 0.0% | +29.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | +22.1% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | +143.5% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +94.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +46.1% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +46.8% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | +41.4% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +41.4% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +19.1% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | +21.6% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +20.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +38.9% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +46.7% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +163.6% |
| 2013 | 4.6% | +58.6% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | +67.4% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | +79.9% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | +10.9% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 15.9% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 18.0% | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | +13.1% |
| 2024 | 21.9% | +7.9% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 21.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 19.0%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 21.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 34.5%, 64% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population using the Internet in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +9614.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 0.8% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.6% | 16.1% | 21.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 186 Somalia 27.9% compare
- 187 Sierra Leone 25.1% compare
- 188 Vanuatu 22.4% compare
- 190 Samoa 21.2% compare
- 191 Mozambique 20.5% compare
- 192 Democratic Republic of Congo 19.7% compare
More science & technology data for Ethiopia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 65.08 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.6508 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 85.95 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 68.28 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 8.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 11.54 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 6,728 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population using the internet in Ethiopia?
- Share of the population using the internet in Ethiopia was 21.9% in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population using the internet recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population using the internet recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of the population using the internet?
- Ethiopia ranks 189th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population using the internet rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 185.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population who used the Internet in the last three months.