This statistic shows the biggest cities in Ethiopia in 2022. In 2022, approximately 3.86 million people lived in Adis Abeba, making it the biggest city in Ethiopia.

Geographic Coordinate System: GCS_WGS_1984 Datum: D_WGS_1984 Source: Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA)

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Ethiopia was reported at 18.25 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Ethiopia ET: Population in Largest City data was reported at 4,215,965.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,039,927.000 Person for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 1,690,413.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,215,965.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 519,177.000 Person in 1960. Ethiopia ET: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ethiopia – Table ET.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

Population in largest city in Ethiopia was reported at 5703628 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Ethiopia ET: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 15.931 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 16.255 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 29.736 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.434 % in 1960 and a record low of 15.931 % in 2017. Ethiopia ET: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ethiopia – Table ET.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

Accessibility to major cities dataset is modelled as raster-based travel time/cost analysis, computed for the largest cities (>50k habitants) in the country. This 1km resolution raster dataset is part of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, Geographical Information Systems - Multicriteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) aimed at the identification of value chain infrastructure sites (or optimal location).

Points represent major cities in Ethiopia

Lagos, in Nigeria, ranked as the most populated city in Africa as of 2024, with an estimated population of roughly nine million inhabitants living in the city proper. Kinshasa, in Congo, and Cairo, in Egypt, followed with some 7.8 million and 7.7 million dwellers. Among the 15 largest cities in the continent, another two, Kano, and Ibadan, were located in Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. Population density trends in Africa As of 2022, Africa exhibited a population density of 48.3 individuals per square kilometer. At the beginning of 2000, the population density across the continent has experienced a consistent annual increment. Projections indicated that the average population residing within each square kilometer would rise to approximately 54 by the year 2027. Moreover, Mauritius stood out as the African nation with the most elevated population density, exceeding 640 individuals per square kilometre. Mauritius possesses one of the most compact territories on the continent, a factor that significantly influences its high population density. Urbanization dynamics in Africa The urbanization rate in Africa was anticipated to reach close to 44 percent in 2021. Urbanization across the continent has consistently risen since 2000, with urban areas accommodating 35 percent of the total population. This trajectory is projected to continue its ascent in the years ahead. Nevertheless, the distribution between rural and urban populations shows remarkable diversity throughout the continent. In 2021, Gabon and Libya stood out as Africa’s most urbanized nations, each surpassing 80 percent urbanization. In 2023, Africa's population was estimated to expand by 2.35 percent compared to the preceding year. Since 2000, the population growth rate across the continent has consistently exceeded 2.45 percent, reaching its pinnacle at 2.59 percent between 2012 and 2013. Although the growth rate has experienced a deceleration, Africa's population will persistently grow significantly in the forthcoming years.

This horizontal bar chart displays GDP (current US$) by capital city using the aggregation sum in Ethiopia. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This horizontal bar chart displays carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) (Mt of CO2 equivalent) by capital city using the aggregation sum in Ethiopia. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Accessibility to regional cities dataset is modeled as raster-based travel time/cost analysis, computed for the largest cities surrounding the country. The following cities are included: City - Population Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - 5 153 002 Asmara, Eritrea - 1 258 001 Sohag, Egypt - 979 800 Wau, South Sudan - 328 651 Abeche, Chad - 83 155 This 500m resolution raster dataset is part of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, Geographical Information Systems - Multicriteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) aimed at the identification of value chain infrastructure sites (or optimal location).

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2025, the country counted over 237.5 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 135.5 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 118.4 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranked seventh, while Mauritius had the highest population density on the whole African continent in 2023. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

Abstract

The 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) is a nationwide survey with a nationally representative sample of 9,150 selected households. All women age 15-49 who were usual members of the selected households and those who spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible to be interviewed in the survey. In the selected households, all children under age 5 were eligible for height and weight measurements. The survey was designed to produce reliable estimates of key indicators at the national level as well as for urban and rural areas and each of the 11 regions in Ethiopia.

The primary objective of the 2019 EMDHS is to provide up-to-date estimates of key demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the main objectives of the survey are: ▪ To collect high-quality data on contraceptive use; maternal and child health; infant, child, and neonatal mortality levels; child nutrition; and other health issues relevant to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ▪ To collect information on health-related matters such as breastfeeding, maternal and child care (antenatal, delivery, and postnatal), children’s immunizations, and childhood diseases ▪ To assess the nutritional status of children under age 5 by measuring weight and height

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Health facility

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49 and all children aged 0-5 resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling frame used for the 2019 EMDHS is a frame of all census enumeration areas (EAs) created for the 2019 Ethiopia Population and Housing Census (EPHC) and conducted by the Central Statistical Agency (CSA). The census frame is a complete list of the 149,093 EAs created for the 2019 EPHC. An EA is a geographic area covering an average of 131 households. The sampling frame contains information about EA location, type of residence (urban or rural), and estimated number of residential households.

Administratively, Ethiopia is divided into nine geographical regions and two administrative cities. The sample for the 2019 EMDHS was designed to provide estimates of key indicators for the country as a whole, for urban and rural areas separately, and for each of the nine regions and the two administrative cities.

The 2019 EMDHS sample was stratified and selected in two stages. Each region was stratified into urban and rural areas, yielding 21 sampling strata. Samples of EAs were selected independently in each stratum in two stages. Implicit stratification and proportional allocation were achieved at each of the lower administrative levels by sorting the sampling frame within each sampling stratum before sample selection, according to administrative units in different levels, and by using a probability proportional to size selection at the first stage of sampling.

To ensure that survey precision was comparable across regions, sample allocation was done through an equal allocation wherein 25 EAs were selected from eight regions. However, 35 EAs were selected from each of the three larger regions: Amhara, Oromia, and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR).

In the first stage, a total of 305 EAs (93 in urban areas and 212 in rural areas) were selected with probability proportional to EA size (based on the 2019 EPHC frame) and with independent selection in each sampling stratum. A household listing operation was carried out in all selected EAs from January through April 2019. The resulting lists of households served as a sampling frame for the selection of households in the second stage. Some of the selected EAs for the 2019 EMDHS were large, with more than 300 households. To minimise the task of household listing, each large EA selected for the 2019 EMDHS was segmented. Only one segment was selected for the survey, with probability proportional to segment size. Household listing was conducted only in the selected segment; that is, a 2019 EMDHS cluster is either an EA or a segment of an EA.

In the second stage of selection, a fixed number of 30 households per cluster were selected with an equal probability systematic selection from the newly created household listing. All women age 15-49 who were either permanent residents of the selected households or visitors who slept in the household the night before the survey were eligible to be interviewed. In all selected households, height and weight measurements were collected from children age 0-59 months, and women age 15-49 were interviewed using the Woman’s Questionnaire.

For further details on sample selection, see Appendix A of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

Five questionnaires were used for the 2019 EMDHS: (1) the Household Questionnaire, (2) the Woman’s Questionnaire, (3) the Anthropometry Questionnaire, (4) the Health Facility Questionnaire, and (5) the Fieldworker’s Questionnaire. These questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s standard questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Ethiopia. They were shortened substantially to collect data on indicators of particular relevance to Ethiopia and donors to child health programmes.

Cleaning operations

All electronic data files were transferred via the secure internet file streaming system (IFSS) to the EPHI central office in Addis Ababa, where they were stored on a password-protected computer. The data processing operation included secondary editing, which required resolution of computer-identified inconsistencies and coding of open-ended questions. The data were processed by EPHI staff members and an ICF consultant who took part in the main fieldwork training. They were supervised remotely by staff from The DHS Program. Data editing was accomplished using CSPro System software. During the fieldwork, field-check tables were generated to check various data quality parameters, and specific feedback was given to the teams to improve performance. Secondary editing, double data entry from both the anthropometry and health facility questionnaires, and data processing were initiated in April 2019 and completed in July 2019.

Response rate

A total of 9,150 households were selected for the sample, of which 8,794 were occupied. Of the occupied households, 8,663 were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 99%.

In the interviewed households, 9,012 eligible women were identified for individual interviews; interviews were completed with 8,885 women, yielding a response rate of 99%. Overall, there was little variation in response rates according to residence; however, rates were slightly higher in rural than in urban areas.

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: nonsampling errors and sampling errors. Nonsampling errors are the results of mistakes made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) to minimize this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be evaluated statistically. The sample of respondents selected in the 2019 EMDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability among all possible samples. Although the degree of variability is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

Sampling error is usually measured in terms of the standard error for a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that statistic will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic in 95% of all possible samples of identical size and design.

If the sample of respondents had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the 2019 EMDHS sample is the result of a multi-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. Sampling errors are computed in SAS, using programs developed by ICF. These programs use the Taylor linearization method to estimate variances for survey estimates that are means, proportions, or ratios. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

Note: A more detailed description of estimates of sampling errors are presented in APPENDIX B of the survey report.

Data appraisal

Data Quality Tables

• Household age distribution

- Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women

Abstract

The DPHS in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa was conducted in May and June 2017, with the objective to assess the role of poverty in disaster risk, focusing primarily on urban flooding but also other hazards.

This project was a collaborative effort between Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the Poverty Global Practice and Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice (GPURL). Data collection was carried out by UDA Consulting under the supervision of the World Bank.

Geographic coverage

Cities of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Satellite images of Addis Adaba and Dire Dawa were used to divide both cities into 100m x 100m grids and among those, 173 and 81 grids in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa respectively were randomly selected. In each selected grid, a 10 x 10 meters secondary dot grids were created. Then, in each secondary grid, 5 households were randomly assessed for inclusion. If the house corresponded to the characteristics of a residential and “low-income/slum” dwelling, it was included in the sample. While the sampling was carried out in a manner to assure representativeness at the city level, caution should be taken before generalizing results generating from this data for the entire city population. This is because the sample intended to sample slum dwellers and low-income households (based on factors that are detectable in high-resolution satellite imagery and visible from above, such as quality of roofing and dwelling size, size of plot, etc.).

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The survey questionnaire consists of 13 sections that were used to collect the survey data. See the attached questionnaire.

Cleaning operations

The following data editing was done for anonymization purposes: • Precise location data, such as GPS coordinates, and 10 x 10 meters grids were dropped • Personal information, such as names and phone numbers were dropped • The number of religions reported was reduced from 6 to 3 categories, the number of ethnicities from 14 to 4 categories, marital status from 6 to 4 categories • Household size exceeding seven household members was categorized as “above 7 members” • Household member information for 7th member and above was dropped to avoid reconstruction of the household size variable.

For more information on the anonymization process, see the Technical Document.

Abstract

The Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey (ESS) is a collaborative project between the Central Statistics Agency (CSA) of Ethiopia and the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study- Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) team. The objective of the LSMS-ISA is to collect multi-topic panel household level data with a special focus on improving agriculture statistics and the link between agriculture and other sectors of the economy. The project also aims to build capacity, share knowledge across countries, and improve survey methodologies and technology.

The specific objectives of the ESS are:

• Development of an innovative model for collecting agricultural data in conjunction with household data;
• Strengthening the capacity to generate a sustainable system for producing accurate and timely information on agricultural households in Ethiopia;
• Development of a model of inter-institutional collaboration between the CSA and relevant federal and local government agencies as well as national and international research and development partners; and
• Comprehensive analysis of household income, well-being, and socio-economic characteristics of households in rural areas and small towns.

The ESS contains several innovative features:

• Integration of household welfare data with agricultural data;
• Creation of a panel data set that can be used to study welfare dynamics, the role of agriculture in development and the changes over time in health, education and labor activities, inter alia;.
• Collection of information on the network of buyers and sellers of goods with which the household interacts;
• Expanding the use of GPS units for measuring agricultural land areas;
• Involvement of multiple actors in government, academia and the donor community in the development of the survey and its contents as well as its implementation and analysis;
• Creation of publicly available micro data sets for researchers and policy makers;

Geographic coverage

National Coverage.

Analysis unit

Households

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

ESS is designed to collect panel data in rural and urban areas on a range of household and community level characteristics linked to agricultural activities. The first wave was implemented in 2011-12 and the second wave is implemented in 2013-14. The first wave, ERSS, covered only rural and small town areas. The second wave, ESS, added samples from large town areas. The second wave is nationally representative. The existing panel data (2011/12-2013/14) is only for rural and small towns. Large towns were added during the second wave and, so far, there is only one round. The planned follow-up ESS surveys will continue to be nationally representative. The ESS sample size provides estimates at the national level for rural and small town households. At the regional level, it provides estimates for five regions including Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromiya, SNNP, and Tigray.

The sample is a two-stage probability sample. The first stage of sampling entailed selecting primary sampling units, which are a sample of the CSA enumeration areas (EAs). A total of 433 EAs were selected based on probability proportional to size of the total EAs in each region. For the rural sample, 290 EAs were selected from the AgSS EAs. For small town EAs, a total of 43 EAs and for large towns 100 EAs were selected. In order to ensure sufficient sample in the most populous regions (Amhara, Oromiya, SNNP, and Tigray) and Addis Ababa, quotas were set for the number of EAs in each region. The sample is not representative for each of the small regions including Afar, Benshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa, Gambella, Harari, and Somalie regions. However, estimates can be produced for a combination of all smaller regions as one "other region" category.

During the second wave 100 urban EAs were added. The addition also included one more region to the sample, Addis Ababa. In each EA 15 households were selected. The addition of urban EAs increased the sample size from 333 to 433 EAs or from about 3,969 to 5,469 households.

The second stage of sampling was the selection of households to be interviewed in each EA. For rural EAs, a total of 12 households are sampled in each EA. Of these, 10 households were randomly selected from the sample of 30 AgSS households. The AgSS households are households which are involved in farming or livestock activities. Another 2 households were randomly selected from all other non-agricultural households in the selected rural EA (those not involved in agriculture or livestock). In some EAs, there is only one or no such households, in which case, less than two non-agricultural households were surveyed and more agricultural households were interviewed instead so that the total number of households per EA remains the same.

In the small town EAs, 12 households are selected randomly from the listing of each EA, with no stratification as to whether the household is engaged in agriculture/livestock. The same procedure is followed in the large town EAs. However, 15 households were selected in each large town EA.

Households were not selected using replacement. Thus, the final number of household interviewed was slightly less than the 5,469 as planned in the design. A total of 3,776 panel households and 1,486 new households (total 5,262 households) were interviewed with a response rate of 96.2 percent.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face paper [f2f]

Cleaning operations

The interviews were carried out using paper and pen interviewing method. However, a concurrent data entry arrangement was introduced in this wave. In this arrangement, the enumerators did not wait until all the interviews were completed. Rather, once the enumerators completed some 3 to 4 questionnaires, the supervisors collected those completed interviews from the enumerators and brought them to the branch offices for data entry, while the enumerators are still conducting interviews with other households. Then questionnaires are keyed at the branch offices as soon as they are completed using CSPro data entry application software. The data from the completed questionnaires are then checked for any interview or data entry errors using a stata program. Data entry errors are checked with the data entry clerks and the interview errors are then sent to back to the field for correction and feedback to the ongoing interviews. Several rounds of this process were undertaken until the final data files are produced. In addition, after the fieldwork was completed the paper questionnaires were sent to the CSA headquarters in Addis Ababa for further checking. Additional cleaning was carried out, as needed, by checking the hard copies.

Response rate

Response rate was 96.2 percent.

Socio-demographic characteristics of students of Jimma high school, Jimma town southwest Ethiopia, 2021 (N = 388).

ET：最大城市人口在12-01-2017达4,215,965.000人，相较于12-01-2016的4,039,927.000人有所增长。ET：最大城市人口数据按年更新，12-01-1960至12-01-2017期间平均值为1,690,413.500人，共58份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2017，达4,215,965.000人，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1960，为519,177.000人。CEIC提供的ET：最大城市人口数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的埃塞俄比亚 – Table ET.World Bank.WDI：人口和城市化进程统计。

Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, ranked as the most expensive city to live in Africa as of 2024, considering consumer goods prices. The Ethiopian capital obtained an index score of ****, followed by Harare, in Zimbabwe, with ****. Morocco and South Africa were the countries with the most representatives among the ** cities with the highest cost of living in Africa.

ET：最大城市人口：占城镇人口百分比在12-01-2017达15.931%，相较于12-01-2016的16.255%有所下降。ET：最大城市人口：占城镇人口百分比数据按年更新，12-01-1960至12-01-2017期间平均值为29.736%，共58份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-1960，达36.434%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-2017，为15.931%。CEIC提供的ET：最大城市人口：占城镇人口百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于Global Database的埃塞俄比亚 – 表 ET.世界银行：人口和城市化进程统计。