Total natural resource rents in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Total natural resource rents was 5.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
5.9%
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
69th
of 211 countries
All-time high
36.1%
in 2003
All-time low
5.5%
in 2020
Years of data
41
1981–2021

Total natural resource rents in Ethiopia, 1981–2021

102030401981200120211981: 13.1 % of GDP1982: 18.2 % of GDP1983: 10.7 % of GDP1984: 10.7 % of GDP1985: 6.9 % of GDP1986: 10.6 % of GDP1987: 9.6 % of GDP1988: 10.4 % of GDP1989: 10.2 % of GDP1990: 11.9 % of GDP1991: 11.2 % of GDP1992: 15.1 % of GDP1993: 14.7 % of GDP1994: 22.9 % of GDP1995: 31.6 % of GDP1996: 28.7 % of GDP1997: 27.1 % of GDP1998: 31.2 % of GDP1999: 19.6 % of GDP2000: 18.5 % of GDP2001: 18.1 % of GDP2002: 23.2 % of GDP2003: 36.1 % of GDP2004: 27.8 % of GDP2005: 23.5 % of GDP2006: 18.8 % of GDP2007: 21.9 % of GDP2008: 18.8 % of GDP2009: 16.4 % of GDP2010: 15.8 % of GDP2011: 17.4 % of GDP2012: 14.9 % of GDP2013: 14 % of GDP2014: 13.4 % of GDP2015: 12.2 % of GDP2016: 11.2 % of GDP2017: 9.9 % of GDP2018: 6.4 % of GDP2019: 5.5 % of GDP2020: 5.5 % of GDP2021: 5.9 % of GDP

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in Ethiopia is 5.9%, measured in 2021.

That represents a change of up 6.7% on the previous year and down 66.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Ethiopia peaked at 36.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2020.

That places Ethiopia 69th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 11.2% 6.9% 18.2% 9
1990s 21.4% 11.2% 31.6% 10
2000s 22.3% 16.4% 36.1% 10
2010s 12.1% 5.5% 17.4% 10
2020s 5.7% 5.5% 5.9% 2

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 66 Niger 6.4% compare
  2. 67 Zimbabwe 6.4% compare
  3. 68 Syria 6.4% compare
  4. 70 Madagascar 5.5% compare
  5. 71 Cameroon 5.5% compare
  6. 72 Laos 5.4% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resource rents in Ethiopia?
Total natural resource rents in Ethiopia was 5.9% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 2003.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2020.
How does Ethiopia rank for total natural resource rents?
Ethiopia ranks 69th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 66.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.