Ethiopian and American investigators will probe the crash. The airline says the experienced pilot had been given clearance to turn the plane around after encountering difficulties.
Amid a global stream of condolences, many gathered in tears at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), as the victims' identities started to emerge.
"The group CEO who is at the scene right now deeply regrets to confirm there are no survivors," the airline tweeted alongside a picture of Tewolde GebreMariam in a suit holding a piece of debris inside a large crater.
Ethiopian Airlines said Kenya had the largest number of casualties with 32, followed by Canada with 18, Ethiopia nine, then Italy, China, and the United States with eight each.
Britain and France each had seven people on board, Egypt six, and Germany five.
Twelve countries in Africa and 14 in Europe had citizens among the victims.
"It is with deep sorrow that I announce that my dear wife, Blanka, son Martin and daughter Michala, died in the air disaster in Addis Ababa this morning," Slovak MP Anton Hrnko wrote on Facebook.
There were 35 nationalities among the victims, including Kenyan, Canadian, Ethiopian, Chinese, Italian, American, French, British, Egyptian, German, Indian, Slovakian, Austrian, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Israeli, Moroccan, Polish, Belgian, Djibouti, Indonesian, Irish, Mozambican, Norwegian, Rwandan, Saudi Arabian, Sudanese, Somalian, Serbian, Togolese, Ugandan, Yemeni, Nepalese and Nigerian.
Swedish CEO and father-of-three Jonathan Seex is also among four Swedes who died in the crash.
The hospitality company Tamarind Group said it mourned the death of Mr Seex, their CEO.
"It is with immense shock and grief to inform you of the tragic news that Tamarind CEO, Jonathan Seex, was on the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines flight," the company, which owns and operates several restaurants in Africa, said on Facebook.
Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of four nationals in a statement.
No Australians were listed among the passengers at this time.
In a statement, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "Our Embassy in Addis Ababa continues to make urgent inquiries of local authorities in Ethiopia."
