Think twice.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Addis Ababa at 50/100 for crime — that makes it read safer than Ethiopia's national picture overall (40/100 vs 38/100).
City page · part of Ethiopia
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Addis Ababa report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Ethiopia's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
49.6
Safety Index
50.4
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as Ethiopia's national page, with crime swapped for Addis Ababa's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Addis Ababa, specifically
- • Addis is safer than most cities in Africa.
Legal status (national law)
Illegal since 5 May 1958 (as the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration in Ethiopia) Penalty: Up to 15 years. (repeal disputed)
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / E / F / L · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911
Tipping
In Ethiopia tipping is common in hotels, restaurants and bars. One is also expected to tip car park attendants whether hired by institutions or self-assigned. In some restaurants it is customary to tip any dancers, and this is usually done by sticking the paper money on the forehead of the dancer.
SIM / Data
Unlike most countries, even within Africa, roaming in Ethiopia with your home country's carrier is very expensive and is often not covered by discounted roaming packages, and many traveler eSIMs don't even support the country at all. As such it is highly recommended to get a local SIM card while in Ethiopia.
Cash vs. Card
Local currency is the Ethiopian birr, denoted by the symbol "Br" or "ብር " (ISO currency code: ETB). Wikivoyage articles use birr to denote the currency.
How this compares to Ethiopia
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Addis Ababa at 50/100 for crime — that makes it read safer than Ethiopia's national picture overall (40/100 vs 38/100).
See the full Ethiopia page and all receipts →