In 2022, Ethiopia scored almost 0.5 in the Human Development Index (HDI), which indicated a low level of development. The country experienced no change in the HDI score since the 2019. However, an improvement was recorded from 2000 onwards. That year, Ethiopia's score was 0.29, meaning that the country had a lower human development. The country's categorization was low throughout the period under review.

As of 2020, the median age stood at 19.5 years in Ethiopia, which is an increase of nearly a year compared to the previous four years. Despite the increment, the median age remained low, indicating a high fertility rate among Ethiopian population. Looking at the population from a different perspective, the human development index scored countries based on health and living standards, in which Ethiopia registered a steady but low level of development in 2019. The country experienced a slight increase in the HDI score since the previous year, which was 0.48. Other measures such as the gender gap index and the economic freedom give further insights into Ethiopia’s population.

Gender gap index score

The overall gender gap index score of Ethiopia amounted to 0.69, ranking 97th out of 156 listed countries globally in 2021. It indicates the discrepancy between genders in four different areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Categorizing the index score by industry, Ethiopia scored low (0.38) in political empowerment in 2021, indicating a low share of women in politics. Health and survival, on the other hand, had a more equal score of 0.97.

Economic freedom in Ethiopia

 Concerning the economic freedom of Ethiopia, which is an index based on 12 categories ranging from property rights to financial possibilities, the country scored 53.6 in 2021. This was slightly lower compared to Africa’s average (55.1). However, Ethiopia registered a steady increase from 2013 onwards, indicating slight improvements in the economic freedom of the people living there.

In 2022, Ethiopia had an overall gender gap index score of 0.71, placing it 74th out of 156 countries globally. During the period under review, gender disparity diminished slightly from 0.66 in 2016 to 0.71 in 2020, before slightly widening again in 2021. The index measures the discrepancy between genders in four different areas, namely economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.