Rank #75 · Africa
Ethiopia's official defence budget of roughly $600 million vastly understates actual military expenditure during the catastrophic 2020-22 Tigray War and subsequent 2023-24 Amhara conflict, where drone warfare, mass mobilisation, and weapons imports dramatically inflated real spending. The Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) expanded to over 500,000 personnel during wartime and has acquired Turkish and Iranian armed drones, reshaping its force structure for counterinsurgency at scale.
Ethiopia's official defence allocation for FY2024/25 is approximately 24 billion birr (~$600 million at current exchange rates), around 0.5% of GDP. This figure is widely understood to undercount real expenditure: the Tigray War (November 2020 to November 2022) required emergency supplementary budgets, militia financing routed through regional governments, and opaque weapons procurement — including Iranian Mohajer-6 and Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones purchased through UAE intermediaries. IMF Article IV consultations for 2023 noted defence as a major driver of Ethiopia's fiscal stress. The 2023-24 Amhara regional conflict added further unbudgeted outlays.
The ENDF was approximately 140,000 strong before the November 2020 Tigray offensive and expanded to over 500,000 through wartime recruitment, integration of Amhara and Afar regional special forces, and reactivation of reserves — the largest rapid mobilisation in Africa since the 1980s. Post-ceasefire demobilisation has been slow and incomplete. The force operates T-55/72 tanks, BMP IFVs, artillery, and Soviet-legacy fighter aircraft (Su-27, MiG-23). The Tigray conflict devastated the officer corps: senior Tigrayan officers who composed much of the pre-war ENDF leadership defected or were purged, creating acute leadership gaps that persist.
Ethiopia has minimal domestic defence manufacturing capacity. Dejen Aviation Industries performs aircraft maintenance and has aspirations for UAV production, but remains far from fielding a meaningful domestic weapons capability. All major platforms are imported: Russia supplies tanks and aircraft; Ukraine historically supplied weapons before 2022; Turkey and the UAE brokered drone deliveries; Iran supplied Mohajer-6 UAVs used in the Tigray conflict. China supplies small arms and ammunition. Ethiopia's poverty and debt constraints limit procurement ambitions. The Horn of Africa arms embargo concerns expressed by the UN did not prevent substantial weapons flows during the Tigray War.
Ethiopia's conflict exposure is extraordinary for a country of its income level. The Tigray War (2020-22) caused an estimated 300,000-500,000 deaths — among the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century — before a November 2022 AU-brokered peace agreement. The 2023-24 Amhara regional conflict between federal forces and the Fano militia caused further mass displacement. ENDF forces are simultaneously managing Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) insurgency in the west, Somali regional tensions, and a potential flashpoint with Eritrea along the 2002 boundary. Ethiopia's unilateral 2023 declaration of intent to access the Red Sea through Somaliland created diplomatic tensions with Somalia.
The November 2022 Tigray peace agreement held through 2024-2025 with fragile implementation. The Amhara conflict saw the federal government deploy drone strikes against Fano militia positions in 2023-2024 — including in populated areas — drawing international criticism. Ethiopia acquired additional Iranian Shahed-series drones in 2024 per IISS reports. A framework peace agreement was signed with the OLA in February 2025 after years of negotiation. The ENDF began a demobilisation programme in 2024 targeting the wartime expansion forces, though progress has been slow. US security assistance remained suspended due to human-rights concerns linked to the Tigray War through 2025.
The official 2025 defence budget is approximately $600 million, but this is a significant undercount. During the 2020-22 Tigray War, real spending was estimated by analysts at $1-2 billion annually including emergency procurement, regional militia financing, and drone imports routed through third parties. The true wartime expenditure has never been fully disclosed.
Yes. Ethiopia deployed Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Iranian Mohajer-6 armed drones extensively in the Tigray conflict — among the first African uses of armed drones in combat at scale. The drones, reportedly procured via UAE intermediaries, played a significant tactical role in the ENDF's 2021-22 offensive that retook Tigray capital Mekelle.
The ENDF expanded from roughly 140,000 pre-war personnel to over 500,000 during the Tigray conflict through mass recruitment and regional militia integration. Post-ceasefire demobilisation is ongoing but incomplete, leaving official figures uncertain. Ethiopia's military is now one of the largest in Africa by active headcount.
A Cessation of Hostilities Agreement mediated by the African Union was signed on November 2, 2022 in Pretoria. The agreement called for ENDF control of federal territories, TPLF disarmament, and humanitarian access. Implementation has been partial and contested; the situation remains fragile through 2025.