This article covers trade and investment between India and Ethiopia: the trade figures given by the MEA, the main goods traded, the agreements that frame economic relations, business events and the pharmaceutical and healthcare contacts recorded in the brief. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of April 2026, and the figures are as of that date.

Trade figures

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, which cites the Department of Commerce, India's total trade with Ethiopia stood at US$ 550.19 million during 2024-2025. In that period India's exports to Ethiopia were US$ 476.81 million and its imports were US$ 73.38 million.

From April 2025 till January 2026, India's total trade with Ethiopia stood at 544.20 million, according to the brief.

The brief also cites a second source, the UN Comtrade Database, according to which India's exports to Ethiopia were US$1.64 bn and imports were US$139 mn. It gives no period for these figures, so they cannot be read against the Department of Commerce figures for a particular year.

Main items traded

The brief lists the major items of India's exports to Ethiopia as pharmaceuticals, vehicles, machinery, electrical items, iron and steel products, chemicals, paper products, plastic products, textile products, electrical machinery and equipment, cereals and aluminium.

The major items of imports from Ethiopia are pulses, flax yarn, precious and semiprecious stones, vegetables, lead and articles, oil seeds, spices and leather.

According to the brief, trade between the two countries flourished during the Axumite Empire (1st century AD). In the 6th Century AD, Indian traders traded silk and spices for gold and ivory through the ancient port of Adulis.

Trade and economic agreements

The brief's list of bilateral agreements includes the following economic instruments:

  • Agreement on Technical, Economic and Scientific Cooperation (1969)
  • Trade Agreement (1997)
  • Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (2007)
  • Double Taxation avoidance treaty (2011)
  • MOU between NSIC, India and FEMSEDA (2011)
  • Trade Agreement (2017)
  • Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Custom Matters (2025)

Business events

The brief records the following business contacts:

  • Ethiopia's Minister of Industry, Mr. Melaku Alebel, participated in Bharat Tex 2024 in New Delhi in February 2024.
  • A CII delegation visited Ethiopia and, in collaboration with the Embassy of India, organised an EXCON Roadshow on 12 November 2025 at the Sheraton Hotel Addis Ababa.
  • Amb. Hadera Abera, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ethiopia's BRICS Sherpa, held bilateral talks with India's Minister of State for Commerce and Industry on the sidelines of the First BRICS Sherpas' Meeting 2026 in New Delhi on 9 February 2026.

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare

Pharmaceuticals are the first item in the brief's list of Indian exports to Ethiopia, and the brief records two recent visits by Ethiopian health officials. A delegation headed by the State Minister of Health, H.E. Ms. Firehiwot Abebe Gobena, visited India from 8-16 November 2025 as part of a study tour conducted in collaboration with the World Bank. Its purpose was to engage in discussion and explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration with the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.

Earlier, Ms. Seble Shambel, Lead Executive Officer at the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, attended the 2nd Policy Makers Visit in New Delhi from 16-19 June 2025.

Indian companies and investment

The brief states that there are a number of Indian companies in Ethiopia. It does not name them or give figures for Indian investment in Ethiopia or Ethiopian investment in India. Investment between the two countries is covered by the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement listed above, which dates from 2007.