Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters was 3.35 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3.35 million people
Change on year
down 84.8%
World rank
14th
of 78 countries
All-time high
22.07 million people
in 2022
All-time low
0 people
in 1998
Years of data
36
1965–2023

Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Ethiopia, 1965–2023

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1965199420231965: 1.5M people1969: 1.7M people1973: 50.1k people1974: 589.7k people1975: 589.7k people1976: 589.7k people1977: 589.7k people1978: 591.3k people1983: 3.1M people1984: 4.6M people1987: 7.0M people1989: 311.8k people1990: 1.2M people1991: 1.2M people1992: 1.2M people1993: 1.2M people1994: 1.2M people1997: 986.2k people1998: 0 people1999: 1.2M people2000: 3.7M people2003: 6.3M people2004: 6.3M people2005: 372.3k people2006: 2.2M people2008: 2.9M people2009: 7.3M people2010: 2.5M people2011: 4.4M people2012: 1.4M people2015: 2.0M people2016: 6.1M people2017: 2.0M people2021: 5.5M people2022: 22.1M people2023: 3.4M people

Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2023, annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Ethiopia stood at 3.35 million people.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 84.8% on the previous year and up 143.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Ethiopia peaked at 22.07 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1998.

That places Ethiopia 14th out of 78 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.60 million people 1.50 million people 1.70 million people 2
1970s 500,000 people 50,080 people 591,280 people 6
1980s 3.77 million people 311,783 people 7.00 million people 4
1990s 1.05 million people 0 people 1.24 million people 8
2000s 4.14 million people 372,300 people 7.27 million people 7
2010s 3.08 million people 1.38 million people 6.12 million people 6
2020s 10.30 million people 3.35 million people 22.07 million people 3

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 11 South Sudan 3.69 million people compare
  2. 12 Burkina Faso 3.50 million people compare
  3. 13 Malawi 3.48 million people compare
  4. 15 Papua New Guinea 2.52 million people compare
  5. 16 Cambodia 2.50 million people compare
  6. 16 Mexico 2.50 million people compare

See the full ranking of 78 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Ethiopia?
Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Ethiopia was 3.35 million people in 2023, according to EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual number of people affected by all natural disasters recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 22.07 million people in 2022.
What is the lowest annual number of people affected by all natural disasters recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1998.
How does Ethiopia rank for annual number of people affected by all natural disasters?
Ethiopia ranks 14th out of 78 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual number of people affected by all natural disasters rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 143.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters
Unit
people
Source
EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
78 places, 1,202 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Total number of people affected by a natural disaster.