Acute respiratory infections are primary causes of morbidity and mortality in children in developing countries. This project was designed to investigatc antimicrobial susceptibility of respiratory tract pathogens isolated from children in rural and city areas, and to contribute to the rational choice of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections in children in Ethiopia. Nasopharynx and throat cultures were taken from all children under five years of age in three study areas representing different levels of contact with health care and accessibility to modern drugs, such as antibiotics. In all, 1126 children were cultured.Huemophilus influenceandStreptococcus pneumonicie were both found in 85–90% of the children, and beta‐haemolytic streptococci group A in 12%. The level of antimicrobial resistance was low. None of the 954 strains ofH. irfluencewere beta‐lactamase producers. Pneumococci were susceptible to penicillin. The use of antibiotics was also low; 11 of 1126 children had antibiotics on the day of culture or the day before. The choice of antibiotics was not limited by resistance, and emphasis could be put on low cost, minimizing adverse drug reactions and ecological i