Ethiopia

Level highupdated 4 min ago
Open alert types
DroughtEpidemic
What governments advise19 states tracked
7 nothing to report3 increased caution9 advise against non-essential travel
Mira Safe's take

Caution is called for: check the situation area by area before you go.

3alerts in progress9 / 19states advise against travel128events over 12 months
HighCritical

What are the main risks in Ethiopia?

Over the last 12 months, our sensors recorded 128 events there, including 55 severe. The most frequent: Terror attack, Wildfire, Armed conflict.

Is there a government travel advisory for Ethiopia?

Yes — of the 19 governments we track, 9 advise against travel and 3 urge extra caution. The detail is in the security section below.

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Ethiopia: current alerts and safety news

The alerts open right now, all sources combined — weather, seismic, satellite, health and state advisories.

UK (FCDO) travel advisory — Ethiopia

5 months ago · 18 sources

High

Drought — in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya et 1 autres pays

6 months ago · GDACS

High

WHO outbreak — Marburg virus disease- Ethiopia (Éthiopie)

21 months ago · 2 sources

High

Being verified

We detected the following events, but they are not yet reliable enough to qualify as alerts — they are awaiting confirmation from an official source. A report is not an established fact.

Last 90 days

  • Calm
  • Moderate / High
  • Critical
  • N/A
July 14October 11

Colour = the country level observed that day (highest of the day). N/A: before our records began.

Is it safe to travel to Ethiopia?

The UK FCDO advises against all travel to some areas, and against all but essential travel to others. On the US scale that is level 3: reconsider travel. Both are limited to certain areas, not the whole country. We place Ethiopia at 3 out of 4. Over the last 12 months, 47 events were recorded, 11 of them severe. Six were conflict records, and all six were severe. That is what weighs most on people here. One earthquake, one epidemic record and the advisory itself also rank among the highest stakes. Wildfire dominates the raw count, 32 records, none severe: satellites see a lot of fire, so that number says more about sensors than about risk. Two thunderstorms, two floods and one air quality record fill out the year. Records cluster early in the year, all hazards combined: 15 in February, 8 in January, 7 in March. November was the thinnest month, with 1.

What it changes for a nomad

The advisory is the first thing to settle. It closes some areas and it shapes your cover, so ask your insurer in writing what applies in a country rated reconsider travel. Read the FCDO page again before you book, because it is the listed areas that move. Conflict records are few, but every one was severe, so a stay of several weeks means following local news instead of trusting a fixed picture. Five alerts are open right now. The start of the year holds the most records, all hazards combined: 15 in February, 8 in January, 7 in March. November had 1. If your dates are flexible, the tail of that stretch is quieter. Fire, floods, storms, air quality, drought and disease follow a season here. Conflict and earthquakes do not, so a busy month on that side is chance, not a cycle.

Written with the help of AI from Mira Safe's sourced data on August 21, 2026 · does not replace local guidance How this analysis is produced →

1 earlier analysis

  1. August 21, 2026

    Over the last 12 months, Ethiopia has seen a mix of natural hazards and some conflict-related issues. Wildfires are frequent, with 32 recorded events, but they are not usually severe. Conflict events occurred 6 times, with all being severe, mainly affecting certain regions. Thunderstorms and floods happen occasionally, with some severe cases, especially during the rainy seasons. Earthquakes and air quality issues are rare but possible. The busiest months for hazards are February, January, and March, while November, April, and May tend to be quieter. Official travel advisories warn against all travel to some areas and recommend caution in others due to ongoing tensions. Little was recorded about medical emergencies or epidemics, but recent major events include travel advisories, drought, and floods.

To watch right now

  • Five alerts are open at the moment; check what they cover before you move around.
  • Among the most recent significant records are a drought and a flood, both at severity 3, alongside the travel advisory itself.

To watch as a rule

  • Conflict: six records over the last 12 months, every one severe. The fewest events, the heaviest stakes.
  • Wildfire: 32 records, none severe, and a real season behind them.
  • Floods and thunderstorms: two of each, one flood and both storms severe.
  • The start of the year, which concentrates the count: 15 in February, 8 in January, 7 in March, all hazards combined.

Good reflexes

  • Reread the FCDO advisory before any trip outside your base, and note which areas the wording covers.
  • Get your insurer to confirm in writing what it covers in a country rated reconsider travel.
  • Register with your embassy and keep the contact saved offline.
  • Download offline maps and keep a power bank charged, so a network cut does not leave you blind.
  • Check local news the morning you travel, and confirm the road is open before you set off.

Ethiopia: travel advisories and areas to avoid

What the 19 tracked governments officially advise for this country — converging or not. The everyday reference.

Reconsider travel
Converging advisories fromAustraliaAustriaCanadaDenmarkUnited Kingdom (FCDO)FinlandFrance (Quai d'Orsay)Germany (Auswärtiges Amt)IrelandItalyJapanSouth KoreaNetherlandsNew ZealandPolandSwedenSwitzerlandUS State Department

the official notice lists the areas concerned

Zones cited by government advisories

Advised against (all travel)

  • Tigray
  • Amhara
  • Gambela Peoples
  • Afar
  • Somali
  • Benshangul-Gumaz
  • Oromiya
  • Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples

Except: Addis Ababa

Advised against unless essential

  • Oromiya
  • Afar
  • Harari People
  • Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples
  • Addis Ababa
  • Somali
  • Gambela Peoples
  • Benshangul-Gumaz

Except: Addis Ababa

Flags show which of the tracked governments cite each zone. Red takes precedence over orange.

Avoid all travel (French advisory)

  • The region is formally advised against.

Avoid unless essential (French advisory)

  • Due to tensions at the Djiboutian border (where drone strikes have occurred in recent months), this area is advised against, except for compelling reasons.

Translated from the French advisory — hover a line to read the official wording.

Read the official notice ↗
  • Advised against by 4+ states
  • Advised against by 1 state
  • Advised against unless essential
  • Cities excluded from the zone

Ethiopia: quality of life and safety in figures

Everyday living conditions, on the few indicators published for every country in the world. Background for a stay — not what is happening today.

Watch out vs the world median

  • Air quality (PM2.5): 23.8 µg/m³ (median 17.3)
  • Safely managed drinking water: 13.5 % of the population (median 80.5)
  • Road deaths: 28.2 per 100,000 people (median 15.2)
  • Physicians: 0.14 per 1,000 people (median 1.7)
  • Life expectancy at birth: 67.6 years (median 74.7)
  • New displacements, conflict: 5.9 per 1,000 people (median 0.48)
  • New displacements, disasters: 4.6 per 1,000 people (median 0.73)
Air quality (PM2.5)
23.8µg/m³ · 2023

Above the world median (17.3) · lower is better

WHO guideline: 5 µg/m³

Safely managed drinking water
13.5% of the population · 2024

Below the world median (80.5) · higher is better

Road deaths
28.2per 100,000 people · 2019

Above the world median (15.2) · lower is better

Physicians
0.14per 1,000 people · 2023

Below the world median (1.7) · higher is better

Life expectancy at birth
67.6years · 2024

Below the world median (74.7) · higher is better

New displacements, conflict
5.9per 1,000 people · 2023

Above the world median (0.48) · lower is better

794,000 people in total

New displacements, disasters
4.6per 1,000 people · 2023

Above the world median (0.73) · lower is better

618,000 people in total

Refugees hosted
7.5per 1,000 people · 2025

1,010,466 people in total

112,987 asylum seekers

People living in internal displacement
2,378,000people · 2025

Security and violence

Structural risk (INFORM) · 2026

7.1/10 — very high

Composite index by the JRC (European Commission): hazards & exposure, vulnerability, coping capacity. Structural background — not today's alerts.

2,273documented deaths from organized armed violence, last 12 months

Source: UCDP (Uppsala University), CC BY 4.0 — academic records published 1–3 months later, through 2026-06. Not a live indicator.

Homicides are the only crime figure that exists worldwide under an open licence. It says nothing about theft or scams — no reliable worldwide data exists for those; official state advisories are the honest day-to-day reference.

National figures, published once a year and often a few years behind: an order of magnitude for daily life, never the situation right now. Sources: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) · UNHCR

Ethiopia: natural disasters and risks in figures

Last 30 days · 77 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Terror attack4342 42 severe
  • Armed conflict241 1 severe
  • Armed attack31 1 severe
  • Wildfire2
  • Earthquake2
  • Storm11 1 severe
  • Risk1
  • Civil unrest1

Last 12 months · 128 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Terror attack4342 42 severe
  • Wildfire402 2 severe
  • Armed conflict307 7 severe
  • Armed attack31 1 severe
  • Earthquake3
  • Storm22 2 severe
  • Flood2
  • Drought11 1 severe

+ 4 more types · 4 events

By month

Eventsof which severe
11
12
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
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What travellers lived

What people who stayed there report. A feeling is not a risk level: these figures complement official data, they don't replace it.

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Only ever published as anonymous aggregates, from 5 responses onward.

Mira informs you. Mira is not an emergency service — in an emergency, call local emergency services. Some of this page's content is generated with the help of AI from sourced, quantified data.

Go further

Humanitarian response under way

Operations run by humanitarian organisations in the country — context about the situation on the ground, not alerts.

  • IFRC humanitarian operation — Ethiopia Drought Response

    Emergency fund (DREF) · since Sep 29, 2026 · planned until Mar 31, 2027

    IFRC GO ↗

Cities and destinations

The country's 10 regions

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