World Sites & Apps
Africa · #43 · 2025–2026

Ethiopia: internet and everyday apps

Ethiopia has about 22 million people online — a penetration rate of 16.7% and rank #43 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 13 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 22 million Penetration 16.7% World rank #43 Updated 2026-11-12
Language አማርኛAfaan OromooEnglishትግርኛ
TL;DR
  • Ethiopia has roughly 22 million internet users (22,000,000 people) — about 16.7% of the population and rank #43 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Telegram, ayoba, Facebook. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Payments, Mobility, News, Classifieds, Tools, Travel and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Ethiopia in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
22 million22,000,000 · #43
Penetration
16.7%#214
Population
132 million132,000,000 · #11
GDP
$150B#61
GDP growth
+7.6%#10
GDP per person
$1,134#192
Land area
1.10M km²#27
Capital
Addis Ababa
Region
Africa
Official languages
Amharic, Oromo

How Ethiopia goes online

Addis Ababa runs on two apps that rarely agree with each other. Telegram is where news, political argument and exam results circulate, often faster than any official statement, while Facebook carries family updates and shop adverts. telebirr, run by the state-owned Ethio Telecom, put mobile money in millions of hands for bills, transfers and airtime. Safaricom Ethiopia now competes for SIM cards, but coverage and speed still vary street by street, and everyone remembers the last time the network went dark for days.

Around 16.7%. With a population of about 132 million and 22 million online, roughly 110 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 13 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

13 Most-used apps

Messaging

3 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009 Telegram Messaging · Telegram FZ-LLC · 2013 ayoba Messaging · MTN · 2019

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

1 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005

Payments

2 Most-used apps →
M-PESA Payments · Safaricom · 2007 telebirr Payments · Ethio Telecom · 2021

Mobility

1 Most-used apps →
Bolt Mobility · Bolt Technology · 2013

News

1 Most-used apps →
Al Jazeera News · Al Jazeera Media Network · 2003

Classifieds

1 Most-used apps →
Jiji Classifieds · Jiji · 2014

Tools

1 Most-used apps →
Ethio Telecom Tools · Ethio Telecom · 2010

Travel

1 Most-used apps →
Ethiopian Airlines Travel · Ethiopian Airlines · 2010

Websites people in Ethiopia actually use

13

The 13 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

Banking5News2Education2Telecom1Transport1Mail1Utilities1
Commercial Bank of EthiopiaBankingcombanketh.etState bank where salaries land; branches and the app are always busy. Awash BankBankingawashbank.comA private bank with branches across the country. National Bank of EthiopiaBankingnbe.gov.etThe central bank of Ethiopia. Zemen BankBankingzemenbank.comA private bank focused on corporate clients. Commercial Bank of EthiopiaBankingcbe.com.etThe largest state-owned bank. Addis StandardNewsaddisstandard.comEnglish-language news people check for politics, business and the economy. Fana BroadcastingNewsfanabc.comA national news broadcaster. Addis Ababa UniversityEducationaau.edu.etEthiopia's oldest university — admission lists, exam schedules and campus notices for students across Addis Ababa. Jimma UniversityEducationju.edu.etA university known for agriculture and medicine. Ethio TelecomTelecomethiotelecom.etAirtime, internet bundles and telebirr payments all start from here. Ethiopian AirlinesTransportethiopianairlines.comBooking flights home or around the region, the default for most travellers. Ethiopia PostMailethiopost.comThe national postal service. Ethiopian Electric PowerUtilitieseep.com.etGeneration and transmission of electricity.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Ethiopia are online?

About 22 million (22,000,000 people). That works out to roughly 16.7% of the population, which puts Ethiopia at #43 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Ethiopia use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Telegram, ayoba, Facebook — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Payments, Mobility, News, Classifieds, Tools, Travel. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Ethiopia?

WhatsApp, Telegram, ayoba dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Ethiopia?

Around 16.7%. With a population of about 132 million and 22 million online, roughly 110 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Ethiopia?

The everyday ones are Addis Standard, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Ethio Telecom, plus the other 13 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Ethiopia: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/et-en.html