Demographics of Ethiopia

Ethnic groups

The country's population is highly diverse, containing 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 Tigray, 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.

Languages

According to Ethnologue, there are 90 individual languages spoken in Ethiopia. The 1994 Ethiopian census indicates that some 77 tongues were spoken locally. Most of these languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic family (Cushitic and Semitic). Omotic languages are also spoken, though their classification is uncertain. Additionally, Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by the nation's Nilotic ethnic minorities.

According to the 2007 Ethiopian census, the most widely spoken first languages are: Oromo (33.8%), Amharic (29.33%), Somali (6.25%), and Tigrinya (5.86%).

Amharic 29.33%% (as a first language), Oromo 31.6%, Somali 6.5%, Tigrinya 6.1%, Gurage 3.5%, Sidamo 3.5%, other local languages; Arabic and English (major foreign language taught in schools),

Amharic is the only official national language of Ethiopia. It was also the language of primary school instruction, but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromo and Tigrinya. English is the most widely spoken foreign language, and is officially " the taught in all secondary schools".

Religions

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%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.6%, traditional 2.6%, Catholic 0.7%, all others 0.6%.

Population

Source: Central Statistical Agency (CSA)

UN estimates

According to the 2010 revision of the UN's World Population Prospects, the total population was 82,950,000 in 2010, 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 is 25.1.

UN projections

Below are the UN's medium variant projections; numbers are in thousands:

2015 91,999

2020 101,046

2025 109,969

2030 118,514

2035 126,392

2040 133,466

2045 139,729

2050 145,187

Vital statistics

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

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)

Births and deaths

Data refer to the 12 months preceding the census in May.

Total Fertility rate in Ethiopia (Census 2007)

As per 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia

Fertility and Births (Demographic and Health Surveys)

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):

According to 2011 official survey, total fertility rate was 4.8 with 2.6 in Urban and 5.5 in rural regions. Total wanted fertility rate (TWFR) in Ethiopia is 3.0 children per woman, this suggests that the TFR is 60 percent higher than it would be if unwanted births were avoided.

Fertility data as of 2011 (DHS Program):

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

99,465,819

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.94% (male 21,900,571/female 21,809,643) 15-24 years: 19.98% (male 9,865,976/female 10,009,596) 25-54 years: 29.31% (male 14,487,280/female 14,667,179) 55-64 years: 3.88% (male 1,882,315/female 1,981,762) 65 years and over: 2.88% (male 1,289,336/female 1,572,161) (2015 est.)

Median age

total: 17.7 years male: 17.5 years female: 17.8 years (2015 est.)

Population growth rate

2.89% (2015 est.)

Birth rate

37.27 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Death rate

8.19 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Urbanization

urban population: 19.5% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 4.89% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 61.48 years male: 59.11 years female: 63.93 years (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.15 children born/woman (2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS

adult prevalence rate: 1.15% people living with HIV/AIDS: 730,300 deaths: 23,400 (2014 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 49.1% male: 57.2% female: 41.1% (2015 est.)