Ethiopia vs Kenya — Country Comparison

The flag of Ethiopia is composed of three equal horizontal bands of green, yellow and red, with the national emblem superimposed at the center of the field. The national emblem comprises a light blue circle bearing a golden-yellow pentagram with single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points of the pentagram.Ethiopia VS The flag of Kenya is composed of three equal horizontal bands of black, red with white top and bottom edges, and green. An emblem comprising a red, black and white Maasai shield covering two crossed white spears is superimposed at the center of the field.Kenya

Ethiopia and Kenya side by side: Ethiopia is the larger country (1,104,300 km² vs 580,367 km², roughly 1.9× the size), while Ethiopia has the bigger population (111.7 million vs 53.3 million). The full comparison table below covers capitals, currencies, languages, dialling codes, timezones and more.

Facts last checked 9 October 2026.

FactEthiopiaKenya
CapitalAddis AbabaNairobi
Population111,652,99853,330,978
Area1,104,300 km²580,367 km²
CurrencyEthiopian birrKenyan shilling
LanguagesAmharicSwahili, English
Dialling code+251+254
Main timezoneUTC+03:00UTC+03:00
Drives on theRightLeft
RegionEastern AfricaEastern Africa
Emergency number112 (works on most mobile networks worldwide)999 (or 112)

Key differences: Ethiopia vs Kenya

Want the full picture for each country? See Ethiopia and Kenya, or compare their population pages: Ethiopia · Kenya.

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Ethiopia vs Kenya — FAQ

Which is bigger, Ethiopia or Kenya?

Ethiopia is bigger by area: 1,104,300 km² vs 580,367 km², roughly 1.9× the size of Kenya.

Is Ethiopia bigger than Kenya?

Yes — Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km², compared to 580,367 km² for Kenya.

Which has more people, Ethiopia or Kenya?

Ethiopia has the larger population: 111,652,998 (111.7 million) vs 53,330,978 (53.3 million).

How does the size of Ethiopia compare to Kenya?

Ethiopia (1,104,300 km²) is about 1.9× larger than Kenya (580,367 km²).

Do Ethiopia and Kenya use the same currency?

No — Ethiopia uses the Ethiopian birr and Kenya uses the Kenyan shilling.

Are Ethiopia and Kenya on the same continent?

Yes — both are in Africa.

What is the time difference between Ethiopia and Kenya?

Ethiopia and Kenya are in the same time zone (UTC+03:00).

Do Ethiopia and Kenya share an official language?

No — Ethiopia and Kenya do not share an official language.

Do Ethiopia and Kenya share a border?

Yes — Ethiopia and Kenya share a land border.

Which is more densely populated, Ethiopia or Kenya?

Ethiopia is more densely populated at roughly 101 people per km², compared to 92 for Kenya.

How far is Ethiopia from Kenya?

The distance between the geographic centres of Ethiopia and Kenya is roughly 780 km (480 miles) in a straight line. Actual travel distances between cities will differ.

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