Demographics of Ethiopia
The demographics of Ethiopia encompass the demographic features of Ethiopia's inhabitants, including ethnicity, languages, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Ethnic groups
The country's population is highly diverse, comprising over 80 different ethnic groups. Most people in Ethiopia speak Afroasiatic languages, mainly of the Semitic or Cushitic branches. Among these are the Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans, who together constitute around three-quarters of the population.Nilo-Saharan-speaking Nilotic ethnic minorities also inhabit the southern regions of the country, particularly in areas bordering South Sudan. Among these are the Mursi and Anuak.
White Ethiopians
are born of Italian, Greek, Swedish, Jamaican and Armenian descent. White Ethiopians live in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and other various estimates.Languages
Ethiopia, like most countries in Africa, is a multi-ethnic state. Although the original physical differences between the major ethnic groups have been blurred by centuries, if not millennia, of intermarriage, there remain many who are distinct and unique.Ethnic differences may also be observed from the great variety of languages spoken in the country, of which there are an astonishing eighty-three, with 200 dialects. These can be broken into four main groups: Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilo-Saharan.
The Semitic languages of Ethiopia are related to both Hebrew and Arabic. The Ethiopian languages of this family are derived from Ge'ez, the language of the ancient Axumite kingdom, which was also the language of the country's literature prior to the mid-nineteenth century, as well as parts of most present-day church services.
Ethiopia's Semitic languages are today spoken mainly in the north and centre of the country. The most important of them in the north is Tigrinya, which is used throughout Tigray.
The principal Semitic language of the north-western and centre of the country is Amharic, which is the language of Gondar and Gojjam, as well as much of Wollo and Shewa. Moreover, Amharic is also the official language of administration, and the language of much modern Ethiopian literature.
Two other Semitic languages are spoken to the south and east of Addis Ababa: Guraginya, used by the Gurage in a cluster of areas to the south of the capital, and Adarinya, a tongue current only within the old walled city of Harar and used by the Adare, also known as Harrari, people.
The Cushitic languages, which are less closely related than the Semitic, are found mainly in the south of the country. The most important tongue in this group is Afan Oromo. It is used in a wide stretch of country, including Welega and parts of Ilubabor in the west, Wollo in the north, Shewa and Arsi in the centre, Bale and Sidamo in the south, and Harerge in the east.
Other Cushitic language in the area comprise Somalinya, which is spoken by the Somali in the Ogaden to the east, as well as in the neighboring Somali Republic and part of Djibouti, and the Sidaminya language, used in part of the Sidama region. Cushitic languages, however, are also used in the north of the country, namely Afarinya, spoken by the Afar of eastern Wollo and the northern half of the Djibouti Republic; Saho, in parts of Tigray; and Agawinya, in small pockets in different parts of western Ethiopia.
The Omotic group of languages, which comprise considerably fewer speakers than either the Semitic or the Cushitic, are spoken the south-west of the country, mainly in Gamo Gofa. They have been given the name in recent years because they are spoken in the general area of the Omo River.
The Nilo-Saharan languages, largely peripheral to Ethiopian civilization, are spoken in a wide arc of the country towards the Sudan frontier. They include, from north to south, Gumuz in Gondar and Gojjam, Berta in Welega, and Anuak in Ilubabor
Religion
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, 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%.
Population
Source: Central Statistical AgencyUN estimates
According to, the total population was in, 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.| 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 |
UN projections
Below are the UN's medium variant projections:Vital statistics
Registration of vital events in Ethiopia is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates:| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR | CDR | NC | TFR | IMR |
| 1950-1955 | 956 000 | 580 000 | 377 000 | 49.4 | 29.9 | 19.5 | 7.17 | 199 |
| 1955-1960 | 1 027 000 | 572 000 | 455 000 | 47.9 | 26.7 | 21.2 | 6.90 | 181 |
| 1960-1965 | 1 155 000 | 565 000 | 589 000 | 48.1 | 23.5 | 24.5 | 6.90 | 160 |
| 1965-1970 | 1 298 000 | 594 000 | 704 000 | 47.7 | 21.8 | 25.9 | 6.87 | 148 |
| 1970-1975 | 1 450 000 | 638 000 | 812 000 | 46.8 | 20.6 | 26.2 | 6.81 | 140 |
| 1975-1980 | 1 579 000 | 676 000 | 902 000 | 46.2 | 19.8 | 26.4 | 6.76 | 135 |
| 1980-1985 | 1 804 000 | 794 000 | 1 011 000 | 47.2 | 20.8 | 26.4 | 6.94 | 140 |
| 1985-1990 | 2 145 000 | 850 000 | 1 295 000 | 48.0 | 19.0 | 29.0 | 7.06 | 127 |
| 1990-1995 | 2 501 000 | 913 000 | 1 588 000 | 47.5 | 17.3 | 30.1 | 7.00 | 115 |
| 1995-2000 | 2 694 000 | 932 000 | 1 763 000 | 43.9 | 15.2 | 28.7 | 6.48 | 101 |
| 2000-2005 | 2 713 000 | 908 000 | 1 805 000 | 38.8 | 13.0 | 25.8 | 5.60 | 87 |
| 2005-2010 | 2 619 000 | 822 000 | 1 797 000 | 33.3 | 10.5 | 22.9 | 4.60 | 72 |
| 2010-2015 | 3 108 000 | 730 000 | 2 378 000 | 4.59 |
CBR = crude birth rate ; CDR = crude death rate ; NC = natural change ; IMR = infant mortality rate per 1,000 births; TFR = total fertility rate
Births and deaths
| Year | Population | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase | Crude birth rate | Crude death rate | Rate of natural increase | TFR |
| 2007* | 73 750 932 | 2 218 457 | 839 038 | 1 379 419 | 28,8 | 10,9 | 17,9 | 4,16 |
- Data refer to the 12 months preceding the census in May.
Life expectancy
Total Fertility rate in Ethiopia (Census 2007)
As per 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia| Region | Urban TFR | Rural TFR | Total TFR |
| Ethiopia | 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 |
Fertility and Births (Demographic and Health Surveys)
Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate :| Year | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR |
| 2000 | 41.3 | 5.9 | 30.7 | 3.3 | 42.9 | 6.4 |
| 2005 | 35.7 | 5.4 | 23.4 | 2.4 | 37.3 | 6.0 |
| 2011 | 34.5 | 4.8 | 26.4 | 2.6 | 36.2 | 5.5 |
| 2016 | 31.8 | 4.6 | 23.9 | 2.3 | 33.2 | 5.2 |
| 2019 | 26.5 | 4.1 | 24.6 | 3.2 | 27.2 | 4.5 |
Fertility data as of 2011 :
| Region | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
| Tigray | 4.6 | 7.2 | 6.4 |
| Afar | 5.0 | 9.9 | 7.3 |
| Amhara | 4.2 | 4.7 | 6.9 |
| Oromiya | 5.6 | 8.3 | 7.1 |
| Somali | 7.1 | 12.4 | 7.9 |
| Benishangul-Gumuz | 5.2 | 10.2 | 6.6 |
| SNNP | 4.9 | 9.3 | 7.3 |
| Gambela | 4.0 | 5.7 | 5.6 |
| Harari | 3.8 | 6.7 | 5.5 |
| Addis Ababa | 1.5 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
| Dire Dawa | 3.4 | 7.2 | 4.8 |
Other demographic statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.- One birth every 10 seconds
- One death every 45 seconds
- One net migrant every 44 minutes
- Net gain of one person every 12 seconds