Facts and Figures

IOM Member State since 2011 Capital: Addis Ababa Population (2011): 84.7 million Area: 1,104,300 km sq Major Languages: Amharic Currency: Ethiopian Birr (ETB) GDP per Capita PPP (2010): USD 1,041 HDI Rank (2011): 174 of 187 Remittances (2011 estimate): USD 242 million Net Migration Rate (2010-2015): -0.2 migrants /1,000 population Immigrants (2010): 0.6% Women as a Percentage of Immigrants (2010): 47.1% Population under 15 (2011): 40.8% Adult HIV Prevalence (2009): not available

Sources and Definitions

Latest News

• 100,000 Displaced Somalis Assisted By IOM To Reach Camps In Kenya And Ethiopia Since The Influx
• IOM Braces for a New Influx of Displaced Sudanese from the Blue Nile and Jonglei States into Ethiopia
• Thousands of Ethiopian Migrants Stranded in Yemen Desperate to Go Home
• IOM on Target to Complete Shelter Construction at IFO 2 in Kenya, Continues to Provide Transport and Health Assistance in Ethiopia
• IOM Provides Emergency Relocation to Fleeing Sudanese in Western Ethiopia

Overview

Migration patterns and dynamics in Ethiopia have significant socio-economic and political ramifications for the country. In particular, the growing rural-urban migration is contributing to rising urban unemployment, which in turn has lead to increased international migration. However, there are also cases that show people from rural areas out migrate internationally without migrating to urban areas first. Environmental degradation with growing economically active populations has also increased labour and forced migration both within the country and across the borders.

With a population estimated at 75 million, out of which 50 per cent are below the age of 20, Ethiopia is bound to face considerable youth unemployment and under-employment both in the rural and urban areas. Though it is difficult to accurately estimate the magnitude of irregular migration, there are some assessments and researches that show the huge increase in migration in and from Ethiopia, in particular by the youth.

Environmental changes in Ethiopia contribute in a variety of ways to encouraging migration out of rural areas. Environmental changes compounded with lack of availability of sufficiently productive land is the most common cause of rural-urban migration. Farmers are seen leaving their countryside to urban settings because of limited availability and poor productivity of land and in search of better livelihood which would allow them to support a household

Ethiopia is also source country for men, women and children trafficked and smuggled out of Ethiopia. Young women from all over the country are trafficked and smuggled for domestic servitude to Gulf States as well as neighboring countries such as Djibouti, Kenya, Somaliland and Sudan where these countries have also become transit countries for irregular migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

Though acknowledged, the contribution of the Ethiopian Diaspora has not yet been effectively mobilized and utilized. Financial remittances from the Diaspora continue to be an important source of income for families and communities, where millions of dollars are thus sent each year for social investment and the development of the regions from which they originate. In 2007, according to the World Bank estimates recorded remittance flows were estimated to have reached USD 337 billion world wide largely to the developing countries. Transfer to Ethiopia is merely over a billion USD mainly sent to immediate family members, primarily siblings and parents. The global crisis has showed a significant impact on the flow of remittances to Ethiopia.

Movement, Emergency and Post-crisis Migration Management

Support to Older People. The objective of this project is to save lives and improve the quality of life for urban older people and dependents living with no support, without shelter, inadequate food and lack of access to health support in Addis Ababa.

Its core activities include:

• Provision of low cost, urban shelters
• Health assessments
• Provision of food
• Psycho-social support
• Income generating activities

Addressing strategic IDP coordination and essential non-food item and hygiene and sanitation needs of new and protracted IDP situations in Gambella Regional State. This project aims to provide strategic advice and capacity building for humanitarian actors and the government, as well as provide direct relief assistance to effectively address the protracted and evolving IDP situation.

Its core activities include:

• Providing strategic advise on assistance to displaced populations to humanitarian partners and government
• Providing non-food-items to displaced populations through voucher systems
• Hygiene and sanitation assistance to women and adolescent girls

Addressing immediate shelter, non-food items and livelihoods needs of Internally Displaced People in Somali and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) regions of Ethiopia. This project seeks to contribute to the survival of internally displaced households through the provision of emergency shelter material and non-food items, as well as contribute to the re-establishment of livelihoods of internally displaced households through provision of seeds and agricultural tools.

• Its core activities include:
• Providing emergency shelter material
• Providing non-food relief items
• Providing livelihoods and asset replacement assistance

Projects

• Addressing strategic IDP coordination and essential non-food item and hygiene and sanitation needs of new and protracted IDP situations in Gambella Regional State
• Addressing immediate shelter, non-food items and livelihoods needs of Internally Displaced People in Somali and SNNP regions of Ethiopia

Movement Management

US Refugee Programme (Australia, Canada , Finland, and Norway). The US Refugee Programme provides third country resettlement for refugees. For 2010, an estimated 5500 Eritrean and Somali refugees are expected to be resettled.

Migration Health

Migration Health Assessment and Assistance. The objective of this programme is to provide assessment, vaccination, pre-departure evaluation and medical escorts for refugees under government-sponsored resettlement:

Its core activities include:

• Health assessment for refugees and for self sponsored migrants to Canada, Australia and USA as well as medical screening of children for adoption from Ethiopia
• Assessment for eligibility of refugees referred by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement on medical grounds.

Project

• Migration Health Assessment and Assistance

Migration and Development

Migration for Development in Ethiopia (MIDEth). This project seeks to support the Government of Ethiopia in achieving its Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Its core activities include:

• Providing current information for the Diaspora on investment and employment opportunities at home
• Facilitating the temporary and long-term return of Ethiopians to contribute to nation-building efforts
• Facilitating dialogue with the Diaspora

Temporary Return of Qualified Nationals (TRQN II) Project. The Temporary Return of Qualified Nationals aims to contribute to the reconstruction and development policies and strategies of selected countries (Afghanistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia and Georgia) in line with the integrated approach of the Dutch Government towards migration and development. The project supports the transfer of relevant skills and knowledge of qualified diaspora professionals in identified priority sectors.

Its core activities include:

• Facilitate temporary return assignments
• Facilitate virtual return/distant learning
• Contribute to the policy dialogue on Migration and Development

Projects

• Migration for Development in Ethiopia
• Temporary Return of Qualified Nationals

Regulating Migration

Improving the Protection of Migrants Traveling through Somaliland, Puntland and Djibouti to Yemen. This project aims at improving the protection of vulnerable individuals, through the realization of their human rights as well as the provision of access to emergency services and support. Working with governments, local leadership, civil society and migrant and host communities, its core activities include:

• An information campaign about irregular migration through radios, theatres and community dialogues;
• Capacity building of local authorities (education institutions, CBOs, police, and judges), and
• Creating/enhancing livelihood alternatives to vulnerable youth and aspiring migrants in partnership with local institutions and government countries

Projects

• Improving the Protection of Migrants Traveling through Somali land, Puntland and Djibouti to Yemen

Facilitating Migration

Family Reunification. The Family Reunification programme to Scandinavian countries accounts for about up to 5000 movements per year.

Pre-consular Support Services. This programme provides support services for the Embassies of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, German and the Netherlands. Activities include immigration interviews, document verification, country of origin information, providing interview space, and cultural orientation.

Projects

• Family Reunification
• Pre-Consular Support Services

Last updated:
Main text: July 2010
Facts and figures: May 2012