Background: Depression and burnout are common among healthcare workers (HCWs) andrnnegatively impact their wellbeing as well as the quality of the service they provide. To date thernburden of depression and burnout among health extension workers (HEWs) in Ethiopia has notrnbeen explored well. Results regarding the relationship between depression and burnout are alsorninconclusive. rnObjective: To investigate the prevalence of depression and burnout and their relationship amongrnHEWs working in rural Ethiopia. rnMethods: We used a cross-sectional study design to collect data from 584 HEWs working inrnrural Ethiopia. A multi-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to recruit HEWs fromrnrural areas of the nine regions of Ethiopia. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) andrnburnout self-test were used to screen CHWs for depression and burnout, respectively. rnDescriptive summaries were used to estimate the magnitude of depression and burnout of thernstudy participants and logistic regression was used to examine the relationship betweenrndepression and burnout and other demographic characteristics. rnResult: The mean age of HEWs was 27.1 years (SE= 0.27) and over half of them (56.8%)rnreported satisfaction with their job. The prevalence of major depression using PHQ-9 score at arn10 point cut-off was 16.5% (95% CI: 12.9%, 18.9%), whilst burnout risk was 39.8% (95% CI:rn32.64, 47.49). The odds of having depression among HEWs with burnout risk is about twelverntimes compared to HEWs without burnout risk [AOR: 11.88; 95% CI (5.27, 26.80); P< 0.001)].rnConclusion: Our findings show that depression and burnout prevalence is high among HEWs inrnEthiopia. They also indicate that burnout is a significant predictor of depression. Strategiesrnshould be in place to ensure HEWs can benefit from the integration of mental health services intornprimary health care units in Ethiopia. Further studies should explore the impact of depressionrnand burnout on performance and the quality of the service among HEWs