Relationship dossier
Ethiopia
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Labor cooperation coexists with recurring disputes over Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia
Ethiopia toward Saudi Arabia
+5Ethiopia entered into bilateral labor cooperation with Saudi Arabia, while restricting recruitment of Ethiopian workers for Saudi Arabia after concerns about their treatment.
Saudi Arabia toward Ethiopia
+5Saudi Arabia entered into a bilateral labor agreement with Ethiopia concerning Ethiopian workers. Deportations and concerns about the treatment of Ethiopian migrant workers have also strained relations.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship has a practical basis in labor migration and bilateral arrangements, but disputes over worker treatment and deportations have repeatedly complicated cooperation. The available picture supports a mixed relationship with modest cooperative features.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia have engaged on labor migration, including a bilateral labor agreement, while the treatment and deportation of Ethiopian migrant workers have strained ties. The relationship combines practical government cooperation with recurring concerns over worker protections.
Areas of tension
- Treatment and protection of Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia
- Deportation of Ethiopian workers from Saudi Arabia
Key developments
Ethiopia restricted recruitment of workers for Saudi Arabia amid concerns about the treatment of Ethiopian migrants.
Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia concluded a bilateral labor agreement concerning Ethiopian workers.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral labor protections are unclear.
- The extent of current government cooperation beyond labor migration is uncertain.