Meles Zenawi

Legacy

🇪🇹Ethiopia

Rank #48

Score: 71

About Meles Zenawi

Meles Zenawi (1941–2012) was Ethiopia’s Prime Minister (1995–2012) and a central figure in post-Derg state building, economic planning, and regional policy. His government prioritized state-led development, infrastructure, and poverty reduction programs. Meles’ era is remembered for strong economic growth and controversial limits on political pluralism; he is treated here as a legacy figure whose impact persists.

Scoring Breakdown

Detailed analysis of the politician's score.

HDI

~0.459 → 0.485 (national trend covering Meles era to present)8/10

Source: UNDP Human Development Report — Ethiopia (2022)

GDP per capita

~historical growth during Meles era; comparative improvements7/10

Source: World Bank — Ethiopia historical GDP per capita (2012)

Gini coefficient

~0.33–0.35 (estimates vary across time)4/10

Source: World Bank — GINI index (Ethiopia) (2010)

Employment rate