Key data for Ethiopia

NCI35th HRCI22nd HANCI30th
HANCI compares 45 countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 36.8% Wasting: 7.2% Proportion of population underweight: 7.2% Source: Government of Ethiopia (IDHS,2019)

Strong Performance

  • The Government encourages varied agricultural research and extension services, and local farmer organisations are involved in setting policy priorities. The extension system is effective and properly reaches out to poor farmers. Government policies, strategies and mechanisms seek to ensure gender equity in access to extension services.
  • Ethiopia instituted a separate budget line for nutrition, enabling transparency and accountability for spending.
  • The National Nutrition Policy/Strategy identifies time bound nutrition targets and a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism has been set up.
  • Policymakers in Ethiopia benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2016.
  • The Government of Ethiopia promotes complementary feeding practices.
  • In Ethiopia, constitutional protection of the right to social security is strong.

Areas for improvement

  • Spending on agriculture (8.4% of public spending in 2018) is close to, yet not fully meeting government commitments set out in the African Union’s Maputo Declaration (10% of public spending).
  • Ethiopia’s spending in its health sector (4.8% of public spending in 2017) does not fully meet (15%) commitments set out in the Abuja Declaration.
  • The Government of Ethiopia has not ensured tenure security for rural populations. Land titling is weak and land markets do not function well.
  • In Ethiopia, the law does not give women economic rights equal to men. Men and women have equal legal access to agricultural land, but this is not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Relative to other HANCI countries, Ethiopia’s medium/long term national development policy (Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II)) places weak importance to nutrition.
  • The Government of Ethiopia has achieved two high doses of vitamin A supplementation for only 48% of children in 2018.
  • Weak access to an improved source of drinking water (68.9% in 2017) and an improved sanitation facility (7.3% in 2017) prevents positive outcomes for hunger and nutrition in Ethiopia.
  • Social safety nets in Ethiopia are basic and only cover few risks for a limited number of beneficiaries.
  • Civil registration rates are weak (2.7% in 2016) and potentially hold back children’s access to critical public services such as health and education.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
8.4%201815th
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
4.8%201729th
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Weak2019Joint 38th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Strong2019Joint 14th
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
2.7%201645th
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Weak2018Joint 11th
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Moderate2019Joint 10th
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 3rd
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
Not in Law2019Joint 16th
Constitutional right to social security
?
Yes2008Joint 1st

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
48%201833rd
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
Yes2013Joint 1st
Population with access to an improved water source
?
68.9%201739th
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
7.3%201745th
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
73.6%201941st
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Weak2015-201940th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
Yes2016Joint 1st
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Few Aspects Enshrined2019Joint 34th