How to Call Ethiopia From the US: Complete Guide (+251)
Table of Contents
How to Dial Ethiopia From the US
Ethiopia uses the country code +251. With approximately 250,000 Ethiopian-Americans in the US — concentrated in Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland — Ethiopia is a heavily called African destination.
Dialling Format
From a US phone: 011 + 251 + area code (without leading 0) + local number
From a mobile with + dialling: +251 + area code (without leading 0) + local number
Example Calls
Yes, calling Addis Ababa from the US starts with "011 251 11" — the US exit code (011), Ethiopia country code (251), and Addis area code (11) all run together. It looks odd, but it is correct.
Ethiopian Area Codes
Ethiopian mobile numbers start with 09 (becoming 251 9 from abroad). Ethio Telecom is the sole mobile carrier, though Safaricom Ethiopia launched in 2022 as a second operator.
The Ethio Telecom Factor
Ethiopia is unique in Africa: until 2022, Ethio Telecom had a complete monopoly on all telecommunications. This means:
