Demographics of Ethiopia

For the national origin group of Ethiopia, see Ethiopians.

Demographics of Ethiopia
Ethiopia population pyramid in 2020
Population	120,283,026 [1] [2]
Density	109.3 people per.sq.km
Growth rate	2.5% (2021) (22nd)
Birth rate	32.4 births/1,000 population (2021)
Death rate	6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2021)
Life expectancy	68.25 years (2022 est.)
• male	66.12 years (2022 est.)
• female	70.44 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate	4.06 children born/woman (2022)
Infant mortality rate	34.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2021)
Sex ratio
At birth	1.03 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Under 15	1.00 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
15–64 years	0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
65 and over	0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Nationality
Major ethnic	See Ethnic Groups of Ethiopia
Language
Official	See Languages of Ethiopia

The demographics of Ethiopia encompass the demographic features of inhabitants in Ethiopia, including ethnicity, languages, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The Official Ethiopian Statistics Services put Ethiopian Population 2024 at. 109 Million around 20 Million less than UN Numbers.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1	1,000,000	—
1500	6,000,000	+0.12%
1900	10,742,000	+0.15%
2000	63,000,000	+1.78%
2011	85,555,555	+2.82%
2012	84,320,987	−1.44%
2013	86,613,986	+2.72%

Source: Central Statistical Agency (CSA) ^[3]

Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world. ^[4] Its total population has grown from 38.1 million in 1983 to 109.5 million in 2018. ^[5] The population was only about nine million in the 19th century. ^[6] The 2007 Population and Housing Census results show that the population of Ethiopia grew at an average annual rate of 2.6% between 1994 and 2007, down from 2.8% during the period 1983–1994. As of 2015, the population growth rate is among the top ten countries in the world. ^[7] According to UN estimations, life expectancy in Ethiopia had improved over time, with male life expectancy reported to be 56 years and for women 60 years. ^[8]

UN estimates

Population, fertility rate and net reproduction rate, United Nations estimates

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects ^{[1] [2]} , the total population was 120,283,026 in 2021, compared to 18,434,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 41.5%, 55.8% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.3% was 65 years or older. The average age was 25.1. ^[9]

	Total population	Population aged 0–14 (%)	Population aged 15–64 (%)	Population aged 65+ (%)
1950	18 434 000	44.1	52.9	3
1955	20 298 000	43.9	53.3	2.8
1960	22 553 000	43.5	53.8	2.6
1965	25 480 000	43.5	53.9	2.6
1970	28 959 000	44.1	53.3	2.7
1975	32 959 000	44.5	52.7	2.8
1980	35 426 000	44.5	52.6	2.9
1985	41 078 000	44.6	52.6	2.9
1990	48 333 000	45.4	52.1	2.9
1995	57 042 000	45.9	51.2	2.9
2000	65 578 000	45.9	51.1	3.0
2005	74 264 000	44.5	52.4	3.1
2010	82 950 000	41.5	55.2	3.3

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 29.V.2007): ^[10]

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	37 217 130	36 533 802	73 750 932	100
0–4	5 482 792	5 314 230	10 797 022	14.64
5–9	6 106 788	5 874 976	11 981 764	16.25
10–14	5 412 324	4 999 913	10 412 237	14.12
15–19	4 454 710	4 293 338	8 748 048	11.86
20–24	3 098 338	3 303 747	6 402 085	8.68
25–29	2 622 759	3 039 429	5 662 188	7.68
30–34	2 088 208	2 131 858	4 220 066	5.72
35–39	1 827 296	1 949 346	3 776 642	5.12
40–44	1 464 529	1 408 451	2 872 980	3.90
45–49	1 150 017	1 097 287	2 247 304	3.05
50–54	928 294	962 472	1 890 766	2.56
55–59	634 053	536 967	1 171 020	1.59
60–64	646 359	588 641	1 235 000	1.67
65–69	446 242	359 019	805 261	1.09
70–74	359 897	316 663	676 560	0.92
75–79	203 843	146 333	350 176	0.47
80–84	159 786	127 691	287 477	0.39
85–89	62 001	38 195	100 196	0.14
90–94	38 185	26 357	64 542	0.09
95+	30 709	18 889	49 598	0.07
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	17 001 904	16 189 119	33 191 023	45.00
15–64	18 914 563	19 311 536	38 226 099	51.83
65+	1 300 663	1 033 147	2 333 810	3.16

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Estimates considering also the results of the 2007 Population Census.): ^[11]

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	50 501 054	50 195 689	100 696 744	100
0–4	6 928 657	6 696 036	13 624 693	13.53
5–9	6 556 462	6 386 585	12 943 045	12.85
10–14	5 953 639	5 819 250	11 772 889	11.69
15–19	5 590 667	5 450 660	11 041 324	10.96
20–24	5 047 253	4 902 329	9 949 582	9.88
25–29	4 406 798	4 348 582	8 755 379	8.69
30–34	3 687 268	3 768 246	7 455 512	7.40
35–39	2 990 405	3 135 347	6 125 754	6.08
40–44	2 394 320	2 528 749	4 923 071	4.89
45–49	1 843 822	1 962 667	3 806 489	3.78
50–54	1 472 263	1 548 292	3 020 553	3.00
55–59	1 156 765	1 177 778	2 334 541	2.32
60–64	883 392	899 303	1 782 694	1.77
65–69	639 745	643 776	1 283 523	1.27
70–74	444 339	441 554	885 894	0.88
75–79	276 955	273 976	550 928	0.55
80+	228 308	212 565	440 871	0.44
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	19 438 758	18 901 871	38 340 629	38.08
15–64	29 472 949	29 721 947	59 194 896	58.79
65+	1 589 347	1 571 871	3 161 218	3.14

UN projections

Below are the UN's medium variant projections: ^{[12] [9]}

UN population projections for Ethiopia (medium variant)

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2022	121,822,590	—
2025	131,322,576	+2.53%
2030	147,649,901	+2.37%
2035	164,079,192	+2.13%
2040	180,415,091	+1.92%
2045	196,839,709	+1.76%
2050	213,190,071	+1.61%

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in Ethiopia is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates: ^[12]

Year	Population (thousands)	Live births (thousands)	Deaths (thousands)	Natural change (thousands)	CBR	CDR	NC	TFR	IMR	Life expectancy (years)
1950	17 710	875	494	381	49.4	27.9	21.5	7.35	199.4	36.35
1951	18 101	890	498	392	49.1	27.5	21.6	7.30	198.1	36.60
1952	18 497	899	502	397	48.6	27.1	21.5	7.20	195.4	36.82
1953	18 892	910	503	407	48.1	26.6	21.5	7.12	192.3	37.23
1954	19 292	921	505	416	47.7	26.2	21.5	7.05	189.1	37.54
1955	19 704	934	507	428	47.4	25.7	21.7	6.99	185.6	37.96
1956	20 128	951	509	442	47.2	25.3	21.9	6.95	181.9	38.34
1957	20 499	967	643	324	47.2	31.4	15.8	6.92	216.3	32.39
1958	20 817	985	636	349	47.3	30.5	16.8	6.90	211.8	32.94
1959	21 227	1 007	502	505	47.4	23.6	23.8	6.89	169.9	39.86
1960	21 740	1 032	508	524	47.5	23.3	24.1	6.88	165.8	40.33
1961	22 282	1 060	509	551	47.6	22.9	24.7	6.88	161.8	41.00
1962	22 852	1 090	516	574	47.7	22.6	25.1	6.88	158.0	41.40
1963	23 449	1 121	520	601	47.8	22.2	25.6	6.87	154.6	41.96
1964	24 074	1 157	529	628	48.0	22.0	26.1	6.87	151.6	42.28
1965	24 728	1 193	541	652	48.3	21.9	26.4	6.86	149.6	42.44
1966	25 378	1 230	607	622	48.5	23.9	24.5	6.87	160.6	40.15
1967	26 052	1 268	566	702	48.7	21.7	26.9	6.88	146.5	42.69
1968	26 779	1 308	580	728	48.8	21.7	27.2	6.90	146.2	42.84
1969	27 530	1 358	599	759	49.3	21.8	27.5	6.94	146.0	42.83
1970	28 308	1 399	618	781	49.4	21.8	27.6	6.98	145.7	42.82
1971	29 100	1 442	634	807	49.5	21.8	27.7	7.02	145.4	42.89
1972	29 891	1 481	687	794	49.5	23.0	26.6	7.06	152.0	41.55
1973	30 694	1 517	702	815	49.4	22.9	26.5	7.09	151.6	41.64
1974	31 489	1 561	783	778	49.6	24.9	24.7	7.12	163.2	39.45
1975	32 253	1 601	803	798	49.6	24.9	24.7	7.14	163.0	39.36
1976	33 062	1 644	744	900	49.7	22.5	27.2	7.19	147.9	41.90
1977	33 695	1 694	766	929	49.9	22.5	27.3	7.26	147.6	41.89
1978	34 259	1 712	774	937	49.8	22.5	27.3	7.30	147.1	41.90
1979	34 759	1 750	766	985	49.8	21.8	28.0	7.31	143.4	42.81
1980	34 945	1 764	761	1 004	49.8	21.5	28.3	7.33	141.9	43.22
1981	35 819	1 771	752	1 018	49.9	21.2	28.7	7.36	140.4	43.61
1982	37 213	1 858	782	1 076	50.0	21.0	28.9	7.37	138.6	43.77
1983	38 235	1 917	1 084	833	50.2	28.4	21.8	7.38	180.9	36.04
1984	39 203	1 985	1 088	897	50.7	27.8	22.9	7.40	177.5	36.43
1985	40 286	2 052	1 077	974	51.0	26.8	24.2	7.38	171.4	37.36
1986	41 455	2 111	1 090	1 021	51.0	26.4	24.7	7.36	167.9	37.81
1987	42 852	2 168	833	1 335	50.7	19.5	31.2	7.34	126.6	45.44
1988	44 512	2 230	877	1 353	50.3	19.8	30.5	7.30	125.1	45.06
1989	46 196	2 304	911	1 394	50.0	19.8	30.2	7.27	123.1	45.04
1990	47 878	2 389	957	1 432	50.1	20.1	30.0	7.24	122.0	44.56
1991	49 937	2 466	935	1 531	49.8	18.9	30.9	7.21	117.6	46.13
1992	52 012	2 548	950	1 598	49.1	18.3	30.8	7.16	114.3	46.90
1993	53 792	2 618	957	1 661	48.7	17.8	30.9	7.13	111.1	47.39
1994	55 620	2 677	964	1 714	48.2	17.3	30.8	7.08	107.7	47.86
1995	57 477	2 737	970	1 767	47.6	16.9	30.8	7.01	104.1	48.30
1996	59 348	2 811	968	1 843	47.4	16.3	31.1	6.92	100.5	48.92
1997	61 233	2 865	968	1 897	46.8	15.8	31.0	6.85	97.1	49.51
1998	63 136	2 895	973	1 921	45.8	15.4	30.4	6.75	93.7	49.93
1999	65 078	2 946	1 011	1 935	45.3	15.5	29.7	6.65	90.9	49.43
2000	67 032	2 984	990	1 995	44.5	14.8	29.7	6.56	87.2	50.54
2001	69 019	3 040	991	2 048	44.0	14.4	29.7	6.46	83.9	51.04
2002	71 073	3 085	992	2 092	43.4	14.0	29.4	6.37	80.3	51.52
2003	73 169	3 096	970	2 126	42.3	13.3	29.0	6.24	76.8	52.53
2004	75 301	3 138	960	2 178	41.7	12.7	28.9	6.11	73.1	53.24
2005	77 470	3 177	948	2 230	41.0	12.2	28.8	5.97	69.6	54.01
2006	79 691	3 207	920	2 287	40.2	11.5	28.7	5.85	66.3	55.15
2007	81 996	3 240	886	2 354	39.5	10.8	28.7	5.74	62.8	56.43
2008	84 357	3 245	856	2 389	38.5	10.1	28.3	5.57	59.8	57.59
2009	86 756	3 235	823	2 412	37.3	9.5	27.8	5.39	57.1	58.80
2010	89 238	3 259	803	2 456	36.5	9.0	27.5	5.22	54.4	59.73
2011	91 818	3 290	782	2 508	35.8	8.5	27.3	5.05	51.9	60.72
2012	94 451	3 289	766	2 523	34.8	8.1	26.7	4.88	49.6	61.54
2013	97 084	3 294	751	2 543	33.9	7.7	26.2	4.72	47.4	62.37
2014	99 747	3 346	748	2 598	33.6	7.5	26.1	4.61	45.2	62.91
2015	102 472	3 425	739	2 687	33.4	7.2	26.2	4.53	43.2	63.65
2016	105 293	3 507	729	2 777	33.3	6.9	26.4	4.47	41.4	64.39
2017	108 198	3 577	732	2 844	33.1	6.8	26.3	4.39	39.6	64.84
2018	111 129	3 668	730	2 937	33.0	6.6	26.4	4.34	38.0	65.41
2019	114 176	3 883	750	3 122	33.5	6.5	27.0	4.35	37.6	65.7
2020	117 298	3 961	761	3 239	33.3	6.4	27.2	4.27	36.3	66.0
2021	120 537	4 015	811	3 203	32.9	6.6	26.2	4.18	35.1	65.3
2022	123 740	4 064	767	3 288	32.4	6.1	26.2	4.08	34.0	66.9
2023	127 028	4 106	767	3 327	31.9	6.0	25.9	3.99	33.0	67.3

CBR = crude birth rate (per 1,000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1,000); NC = natural change (per 1,000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1,000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1,000 births

Source: UN World Population Prospects

Census data on fertility

As per 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia ^[13]

Region	Urban TFR	Rural TFR	Total TFR (U+R)
Ethiopia (Country Total)	2,220	4,650	4,160
Tigray Region	2,915	4,905	4,440
Affar Region	2,440	2,000	2,075
Amhara Region	2,135	4,540	4,175
Oromia Region	2,635	5,235	4,845
Somali Region	2,175	1,985	2,010
Benishangul – Gumuz Region	3,005	4,800	4,520
S.N.N.P Region	2,750	4,715	4,495
Gambella Region	2,725	2,930	2,885
Harari Region	1,725	4,725	2,885
Addis Ababa City Administration	1,485	-	1,485
Dira Dawa City Administration	2,155	5,455	2,985
Region 17	3,210	2,585	2,845

Demographic and Health Surveys

Crude Birth Rate (CBR), Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Wanted Fertility Rate (WFR): ^[14]

year	crude birth rate (CBR)			total fertility rate (TFR)			wanted fertility rate (WFR)
	total	urban	rural	total	urban	rural	total	urban	rural
2000	41.3	30.7	42.9	5.9	3.3	6.4	4.9	2.7	5.4
2005	35.7	23.4	37.3	5.4	2.4	6.0	4.0	1.8	4.5
2011	34.5	26.4	36.2	4.8	2.6	5.5	3.8
2016	31.8	23.9	33.2	4.6	2.3	5.2	3.6	2.1	4.0
2019	26.5	24.6	27.2	4.1	3.2	4.5

Fertility data as of 2016 (DHS Program): ^[15]

Region	Total fertility rate	Percentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnant	Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Tigray	4.7	5.0	6.1
Afar	5.5	9.5	6.5
Amhara	3.7	5.9	6.2
Oromiya	5.4	8.3	6.7
Somali	7.2	12.9	7.4
Benishangul-Gumuz	4.4	7.3	6.7
SNNPR	4.4	8.0	6.9
Gambela	3.5	5.9	4.9
Harari	4.1	9.2	4.3
Addis Ababa	1.8	2.6	2.6
Dire Dawa	3.1	5.5	5.2

Ethnic groups

Main article: List of ethnic groups in Ethiopia

Ethnic groups in Ethiopia (2007 census) [16]
Ethnic group			percent
Oromo			34.5%
Amhara			26.9%
Somali			6.2%
Tigray			6.1%
Sidama			4.0%
Gurage			2.5%
Welayta			2.3%
Hadiya			1.7%
Afar			1.7%
Gamo			1.5%
others			12.6%

Ethiopia's population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups, the four largest of which are the Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans. According to the Ethiopian national census of 2007, the Oromo are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, at 34.4% of the nation's population. The Amhara represent 27.0% of the country's inhabitants, while Somalis and Tigrayans represent 6.2% and 6.1% of the population respectively. Other prominent ethnic groups are as follows: Sidama 4.0%, Gurage 2.5%, Welayta 2.3%, Afar 1.7%, Hadiya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5% and Others 12.6%. ^[16]

Afroasiatic-speaking communities make up the majority of the population. Among these, Semitic speakers often collectively refer to themselves as the Habesha people. The Arabic form of this term (al-Ḥabasha) is the etymological basis of "Abyssinia", the former name of Ethiopia in English and other European languages. ^[17] Additionally, Nilo-Saharan-speaking ethnic minorities inhabit the southern regions of the country, particularly in areas of the Gambela Region which borders South Sudan. The largest ethnic groups among these include the Nuer and Anuak. ^[18] The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, being an amalgam of the main homelands of numerous ethnicities, contains over 56 indigenous ethnic groups. ^[19]

Languages

Main article: Languages of Ethiopia

According to the bibliographic database Glottolog, there are 109 languages spoken in Ethiopia; meanwhile, Ethnologue lists 90 individual languages spoken in the country. ^{[20] [21]} Most people in the country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches, including the Oromo language, Somali, Amharic, and Tigrinya. Together, these four groups make up about three-quarters of Ethiopia's population. Other Afroasiatic languages with a significant number of speakers include the Cushitic Sidamo, Afar, Hadiyya and Agaw languages, as well as the Semitic Gurage languages, Harari, Silt'e, and Argobba languages. Arabic, which also belongs to the Afroasiatic family, is likewise spoken in some areas. ^[22]

The principal Semitic language of the north-west and centre of the country is Amharic, which is the language of the Amhara Region. Moreover, Amharic is also one of the official working languages of Ethiopia. ^{[23] [24]}

Oromo serves as one of the official working languages of Ethiopia ^{[23] [24]} and is also the working language of several of the states within the Ethiopian federal system including Oromia, ^[25] Harar and Dire Dawa regional states and of the Oromia Zone in the Amhara Region.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Ethiopia

Religion in Ethiopia in 2015 by ARDA [26]
Ethiopian Orthodox			42.1%
Islam			34.6%
Protestant			20.8%
Traditional faiths			1.4%
Roman Catholic			0.6%
Other and No religion			0.1%

Various religions are adhered to in Ethiopia. Most Christians live in the highlands, whereas Muslims mainly inhabit the lowlands. Adherents of traditional faiths are primarily concentrated in the southern regions.

According to the Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency (2007 census), the national religious composition is Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Protestantism 18.6%, Roman Catholicism 0.7%, Islam 33.9%, traditional 2.6%, and others 0.6%. ^[27]

See also

• Habesha peoples
• Urbanization in Ethiopia

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Attribution

•  This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2025 ed.). CIA.  (Archived 2006 edition.)