Ethiopia - Country Progress Report - unaids

Report on Progress towards Implementation of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
2. Overview of the AIDS Epidemic in Ethiopia
2.1 Introduction
The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted by 189 UN Member States in 2001 requires Member States
to report every two years on progress achieved using a set of core national-level indicators. This report is the third
submitted by the Government of Ethiopia since 2003, and in the spirit of the Declaration, it has been prepared in a
participatory manner to assess the current state of the epidemic and the national response and to monitor progress
in the implementation of agreed-on commitments.
Ethiopia covers an area of about 1.1 million square kilometers. It is situated in the Horn of Africa between 3 and 15
degrees north latitude and 33 and 48 degrees east longitude. It is a country with great geographical and cultural
diversity. There are more than 80 ethnic groups in the country with distinct cultures and languages.
It has a projected population of 77 million for 2007 1 , with about 84% living in rural areas. The average household
size is 4.8. Administratively, the country is a Federal Democratic Republic with a bicameral parliament: the House of
Representatives and the House of Federation. Administrative boundaries are composed of nine regional states, two
city administrations (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa) and 700 Woredas (districts). The Woredas are the basic units of
planning and political administration. Below these districts are approximately 15,000 village associations and urban
neighborhood associations known as Kebeles (5000 urban and 10,000 rural).
Economically, Ethiopia is a low-income country with a per capita gross national income of $110 in 2004 2 . Its economy
is largely dependent on the agriculture sector, which also provides about 80% of the employment. Recurrent famines
and civil wars, as well as high population growth (2.7% p.a. since 2000) have contributed to this low socio-economic
status. The Ethiopian population is young (with 44% under the age of 15 years) and rapidly growing, resulting in
a high dependency ratio. The population growth is also putting pressure on cultivable lands and contributing to
environmental degradation, which is worsening the level of poverty. During the past two decades, Ethiopia’s poor
socio-economic status has been further compounded by the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The overall health status of the Ethiopian people is poor. Life expectancy at birth stands at 54 years (53 years for men
and 55 years for women). The infant mortality rate is estimated to be about 77 per 1,000 births, and Under-5 mortality
is about 123 per 1,000 3 . Poor nutritional status, infectious diseases and a high fertility rate, together with low levels of
access to reproductive health and emergency obstetric services, contribute to one of the highest maternal mortality
rates in the world. Maternal mortality is estimated to be 673 per 100,000 births.
The major health problems of the country are communicable diseases resulting from poor personal hygiene, improper
garbage and waste disposal practices, and lack of an adequate and safe water supply. Significant proportions of other
health problems are due to inappropriate nutritional practices, lack of health awareness and cultural taboos. Most of
these communicable diseases are vaccine preventable and affect mothers and children under five years of age.
In 2005/06, the geographic access with basic primary health care had reached 76.9% for public facilities, with an
increase to 92% when the services of private facilities are included 4 .
1 Yemane Birhane, Yared M. et.al commissioned by HAPCO & the World Bank – “HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: An Epidemiological Synthesis”, Final Draft, November 2007.
2 World Bank, 2006
3 FMOH, PPD: Health and Health-Related Indicators, 2005/06
4 Ibid
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