Refugees in Ethiopia

Summary

The Socio-Economic Survey of Refugees in Ethiopia (SESRE) was conducted to address the gap of socioeconomic data on refugees and their interactions with host communities. It’s complementary objectives included strengthening the capacity of the Ethiopian Central Statistics Service (CSS) to incorporate refugees in future national household surveys and providing a comprehensive analytical report to inform policy and programming.  

Implemented in close partnership with the World Bank, UNHCR, the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service, and the CSS, data was collected and analyzed in alignment with the Ethiopian Household Welfare Statistics Survey; focusing on economic activity, livelihoods, consumption patterns, and social dynamics among refugees and hosts.  The resulting report, titled “Expanding Development Approaches to Refugees and Their Hosts in Ethiopia”, and microdata were published in 2024.  

Outcomes and impact

The survey provided, for the first time, fully comparable socioeconomic profiles of major refugee groups and their host communities, offering critical evidence to support Ethiopia’s shift from an encampment policy toward greater socioeconomic integration of refugees, including through development of Ethiopia’s 2024 Directive to Implement Recognized Refugees’ and Asylum Seekers’ Right to Work.

The activity resulted in strengthened relationships between the World Bank, UNHCR and Ethiopian government agencies, which proved essential for successful data collection and policy impact. It set the stage for integrating similar data collection efforts into future official surveys and enhanced the impact and reach of evidence-based policy making for refugee populations in Ethiopia.

Key findings

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the demographic, economic, and social conditions of refugees and their host communities. The findings highlight key disparities in education, employment, and living standards between refugees and host populations. While primary school enrolment rates are similar for both groups, secondary school attendance among refugees is significantly lower. Employment rates are also lower for refugees, particularly for those living in camps, where reliance on humanitarian aid is high. Refugees in urban settings experience better employment outcomes but often face occupational downgrading. On social cohesion, the report shows that host attitudes to refugees are generally positive; most hosts believe that refugees should have the right to free primary education (87 percent), health care (87 percent), work (82 percent) and internal mobility (75 percent).  

The report underscores the need for policy interventions that enhance refugee mobility, labor market participation, and economic integration while supporting host communities. Recommendations include improving access to education and healthcare, expanding work opportunities for refugees, and promoting place-based development strategies to benefit both refugees and hosts. By adopting a more inclusive and development-oriented approach, Ethiopia can maximize the economic and social benefits of hosting refugees while reducing long-term dependence on humanitarian aid. 

Outputs

• 2022–2023 Socio-Economic Survey of Refugees in Ethiopia (SESRE) with sample survey data collected from 3,452 households, anonymized and published in the World Bank Microdata Library
• World Bank report: “Expanding Development Approaches to Refugees and Their Hosts in Ethiopia”
• Official launch event of SESRE in Addis Ababa in January 2025 by the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service, Central Statistics Service, World Bank, and UNHCR