WorldRisk

Which passport do you hold?

Risk to a traveller depends on their nationality. A country that sanctions your destination, or is sanctioned by it, changes how you are treated on arrival. Choosing here adjusts every score on the site.

We hold travel advice written for four nationalities so far. Selecting anything else shows the neutral baseline, and every page says so where it applies rather than presenting it as an assessment made for you.

Kept in your browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere, and you can change it at any time from the header.

All countries

Ethiopia

71High71 of 100, High band, 50 to 74good confidence(7/7 dimensions)
What this score means
Extreme75 to 100
Severe and systematic. Device search, interception and detention over online activity are documented rather than theoretical. Reconsider what you carry and what you say.
High50 to 74
Substantial and consistently evidenced measures. Device inspection, monitored networks or restricted services should be expected rather than treated as unlikely.
Caution25 to 49
Some risk, and manageable with precautions. Measures are evidenced but are narrow, inconsistently applied, or the picture is mixed.
Low0 to 24
Ordinary precautions. No systematic device search, network restriction or prosecution of visitors for online speech is evidenced.

Government travel advice is written for one citizenry, so the same country carries a different assessment depending on your passport. Change it in the header.

Showing the baseline, which weights every issuer equally. No government in our corpus publishes travel advice written for you, so this is not addressed to you specifically.

Dimensions

Each dimension is scored independently, because the traveller who cares about legal exposure for what they have posted is often not the one carrying client data. Higher means more risk.

Border device risk

How likely is my device to be searched, imaged, or seized at the border, and can I be compelled to unlock it?

89Extreme89 of 100, Extreme band, 75 to 100

good confidence6 independent sources

Why this score (9 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ETH 0 of 4 on due process in civil and criminal matters.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • Ethiopia - Level 3: Reconsider Travel

    US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2026-08-27 · written for USA nationals

  • FCDO advice for Ethiopia: avoid_all_travel_to_parts, avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts.

    UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-10-07 · written for GBR nationals

  • Ethiopia: Avoid non-essential travel

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-14 · written for CAN nationals

  • Ethiopia (Äthiopien): Teilreisewarnung: partial travel warning in force

    Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-09 · written for DEU nationals

  • You may not bring or transit through Ethiopia with many consumer electronics, including items that customs officials could consider having military applications.

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-16 · written for CAN nationals · extracted by language model

  • Bestimmte Gegenstände (u. a. Ferngläser, Teleobjektive, Drohnen, sowie Kommunikationsgeräte wie Funkgeräte („Walkie-Talkies“) und Satellitentelefone) dürfen nicht eingeführt werden und werden bei Einreise vom Zoll beschlagnahmt, im Einzelfall kann eine Festnahme drohen.

    Our translation: Certain items (including binoculars, telephoto lenses, drones, as well as communication devices such as radios (“walkie-talkies”) and satellite telephones) may not be imported and are confiscated by customs upon entry; in individual cases, arrest may result.

    Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-16 · written for DEU nationals · extracted by language model

  • It’s illegal to import or export satellite phones, binoculars or drones to or from Ethiopia without prior approval from the Customs and Information Network and Security Agency.

    UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-10-07 · written for GBR nationals · extracted by language model

  • The men searched Bewket’s phone, phoned a superior, dismissed the journalist’s explanation that he was about to meet the zonal administrator, and took him to a police station.

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2026-05-29 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Speech and legal exposure

What legal risk attaches to what I have said online, or say while I am there?

88Extreme88 of 100, Extreme band, 75 to 100

good confidence8 independent sources

Why this score (13 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ETH 1 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ETH 1 of 4 on free and independent media.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ETH 1.04 of 4 on how routinely the government censors political content on social media, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ETH 0.66 of 4 on how often people are arrested for political content they posted online, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • Ethiopia - Level 3: Reconsider Travel

    US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2026-08-27 · written for USA nationals

  • FCDO advice for Ethiopia: avoid_all_travel_to_parts, avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts.

    UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-10-07 · written for GBR nationals

  • Ethiopia: Avoid non-essential travel

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-14 · written for CAN nationals

  • Ethiopia (Äthiopien): Teilreisewarnung: partial travel warning in force

    Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-09 · written for DEU nationals

  • Writing on blogs or posting on social media about political subjects could lead to detention and arrest, even if the content was posted outside Ethiopia and/or a long time ago.

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-16 · written for CAN nationals · extracted by language model

  • On April 28, Omar was charged with defamation and disseminating disinformation in connection with two Facebook posts, according to the charge sheet, reviewed by CPJ, in which he alleged mismanagement at a local mosque and corruption at the regional attorney general’s office.

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-05-16 · extracted by language model

  • In March 2026, a group of 41 states raised concerns about Ethiopia at the UN Human Rights Council’s 61st session, among other things regretting the “further shrinking of the closed civic space in Ethiopia, including continued intimidation and harassment, arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights defenders and independent media and journalists, while many have been forced into exile.”

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-07-31 · extracted by language model

  • Nairobi, May 30, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed by an Ethiopian regional court’s decision to sentence Jigjiga Television Network founder Ahmed Awga to two years in jail on charges of disseminating hateful information via a Facebook post he did not author.

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-05-30 · extracted by language model

  • He was questioned about a 4th August Facebook post on SRTV’s page that featured local community members criticising the government.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2025-10-29 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Connectivity continuity

How likely am I to lose access to the internet, or to the specific tools I depend on?

79Extreme79 of 100, Extreme band, 75 to 100

good confidence10 independent sources

Why this score (76 sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

2 excluded sources
  • Access Now feed, observed 2023-11-22: aged out after 3 years.
  • MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-02-13: aged out after 3 years.

Surveillance and interception

How comprehensively are communications intercepted, retained, and monitored, and is commercial spyware in use?

72High72 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

good confidence3 independent sources

Why this score (4 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ETH 1 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ETH 0.66 of 4 on how comprehensively the government monitors social media and private online communication, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ETH 1.94 of 4 on how far privacy protection law shields communications from government access, where higher is freer. This measures what privacy law permits rather than what monitoring is practised, so it is read here as a constraint on interception rather than a measurement of it.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025 scored ETH 0.06 of 1 on whether freedom from arbitrary interference with privacy is effectively guaranteed, a measure built from expert assessments of warrantless interception of communications.

    World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6 · observed 2025-01-01

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Network threat

How hostile is the network environment to a foreign visitor, from state actors and criminals alike?

65High65 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

good confidence4 independent sources

Why this score (4 sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Data jurisdiction

What happens to corporate or client data I carry into the jurisdiction?

51High51 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

moderate confidence1 independent source

Why this score (1 source)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Encryption and VPN legality

Are VPNs and strong encryption lawful, and can I be required to install an application or hand over keys?

38Caution38 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

moderate confidence3 independent sources

Why this score (3 sources)

  • Some restrictions. In Ethiopia, the manufacture, assembly and import of any telecommunications equipment (which can include encryption technology) requires a license from the government; failure to comply is a crime punishable with imprisonment and a fine. The law also allows an “investigatory organ” with a court warrant to search or access - physically or virtually - any computer system, network, or computer data - where it is necessary for a computer crime investigation. This stipulation encompasses both individuals and providers; failure to comply is a crime punishable with imprisonment or a fine.

    Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies · observed 2019-06-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ETH 1.31 of 4 on whether the government regulates the internet in a way consistent with international human rights standards, where higher is freer. This does not establish whether encryption or VPN use is lawful. It measures internet regulation in general, and is used as indirect evidence because the only survey that reads encryption law directly was published in 2019.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • OONI recorded no confirmed blocking across 18,643 measurements of anonymity and censorship circumvention tools in ETH over the 90 days to 2026-10-16, with 747 further results inconclusive.

    Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data · observed 2026-10-16

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Trend

02550751002026-08-162026-10-16

The overall score is up 9.8 points over 61 days, from 61.5 to 71.3. Most movement is the event overlay decaying rather than anything happening: a news signal loses half its weight every three weeks, so a score drifts back toward its structural baseline on its own. A step that holds is the one worth reading.

Check this yourself

These are not inputs to the score for Ethiopia. They are where to look if you want to test what is above against something we did not use.

Sources

This assessment draws on 17 sources: Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise; CIVICUS Monitor country updates; Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search; Dawn feed; Freedom House, Freedom in the World; Freedom House, Freedom on the Net, obstacles to access; Georgia Tech Internet Intelligence Lab, Internet Outage Detection and Analysis; Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories; Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies; International Telecommunication Union, Global Cybersecurity Index; Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data; The Conversation, via a site scoped search; The GDELT Project, GDELT Global Knowledge Graph 2.1; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice; US Department of State, Travel Advisories; V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project; World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6. Every contributing claim is quoted with its origin and date above. Model version 0.12.0, computed 2026-10-16.

If something here is wrong, say so. Corrections are handled in public, and we correct because the evidence is wrong, not because someone objects.