Ethiopia
Leading cause: Cancer · 81% plant-based · 67.3 yr life expectancy · UHC 33/100
What People Eat
Traditional Ethiopian diet (teff, lentils, chickpeas, injera, vegetables) is ~80% plant-based. Very low CVD despite economic poverty.
Disease Burden
Leading cause of death: Cancer · 81 / 100k
Bars show each rate against the global range; the tick marks the world median.
Ethiopia's diet is ~80% plant-based (teff, lentils, chickpeas, vegetables) and cardiovascular disease is low for the region, but cancer (81/100k) and respiratory disease lead mortality amid very low health spending (~$30/person) and limited coverage. Infectious disease and undernutrition remain bigger threats than diet-driven chronic disease.
Healthcare System
Sources: WHO UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1) & WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Latest available year.
What Could Improve
- The protective traditional diet is a strength to preserve as incomes rise and processed foods arrive.
- The decisive levers here are healthcare access, clean cooking fuel (for respiratory disease), and nutrition security, not dietary change.
- Strengthen basic primary care, where coverage (UHC index ~33) is among the lowest shown here.
Explore the evidence: Cancer
Global Burden of Disease · IHME · 2022
→ 81% plant-based diet · Very low CVD burden