The total population of Ethiopia was estimated at approximately 108.41 million people in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the total population has risen by around 75.97 million people since 1980. Between 2024 and 2030, the total population will rise by around 10.84 million people, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

The total population in Ethiopia was estimated at 132.1 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Ethiopia Population - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Ethiopia (POPTOTETA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Ethiopia and population.

Ethiopia ET: Population: Total data was reported at 104,957,438.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 102,403,196.000 Person for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 45,695,488.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 104,957,438.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 22,151,278.000 Person in 1960. Ethiopia ET: Population: Total 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. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

This statistic shows the total population of Ethiopia from 2013 to 2023 by gender. In 2023, Ethiopia's female population amounted to approximately 64.21 million, while the male population amounted to approximately 64.49 million inhabitants.

Ethiopia ET: Population: Growth data was reported at 2.464 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.502 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 2.702 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.601 % in 1992 and a record low of 1.318 % in 1978. Ethiopia ET: Population: Growth 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. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

This dataset provides population data for Ethiopia, disaggregated by regional states. The data is available in vector format, allowing for spatial visualization. Cross-border settlements are represented separately in a standalone file titled "Crosses Boundary." The dataset includes total population figures and population density, adjusted to match the corresponding official United Nations population estimates that have been prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (2019 Revision of World Population Prospects).

Urban population (% of total population) in Ethiopia was reported at 23.66 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Rural population (% of total population) in Ethiopia was reported at 76.34 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Ethiopia (SPPOPGROWETH) from 1961 to 2024 about Ethiopia, population, and rate.

Population ages 15-64 (% of total population) in Ethiopia was reported at 57.71 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Population ages 15-64 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Population ages 65 and above, female (% of female population) in Ethiopia was reported at 3.5921 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Population ages 65 and above, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) in Ethiopia was reported at 39.06 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Population ages 0-14 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Ethiopia ET: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 55.920 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 55.394 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 51.751 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 55.920 % in 2017 and a record low of 50.218 % in 1997. Ethiopia ET: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 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. Total population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

Abstract

The 2005 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (2005 EDHS) is part of the worldwide MEASURE DHS project which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The principal objective of the 2005 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behaviour, child mortality, adult and maternal mortality, children’s nutritional status, the utilization of maternal and child health services, knowledge of HIV/AIDS and prevalence of HIV/AIDS and anaemia.

The specific objectives are to: - collect data at the national level which will allow the calculation of key demographic rates; - analyze the direct and indirect factors which determine the level and trends of fertility; - measure the level of contraceptive knowledge and practice of women and men by method, urban-rural residence, and region; - collect high quality data on family health including immunization coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhoea and other diseases among children under five, and maternity care indicators including antenatal visits and assistance at delivery; - collect data on infant and child mortality and maternal and adult mortality; - obtain data on child feeding practices including breastfeeding and collect anthropometric measures to use in assessing the nutritional status of women and children; - collect data on knowledge and attitudes of women and men about sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS and evaluate patterns of recent behaviour regarding condom use; - conduct haemoglobin testing on women age 15-49 and children under age five years in a subsample of the households selected for the survey to provide information on the prevalence of anaemia among women in the reproductive ages and young children; - collect samples for anonymous HIV testing from women and men in the reproductive ages to provide information on the prevalence of HIV among the adult population.

This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of programs on health in general and reproductive health in particular at both the national and regional levels. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of the Central Statistical Agency to plan, conduct, process, and analyse data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2005 Ethiopia DHS provides national and regional estimates on population and health that are comparable to data collected in similar surveys in other developing countries. The first ever Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Ethiopia was conducted in the year 2000 as part of the worldwide DHS programme. Data from the 2005 Ethiopia DHS survey, the second such survey, add to the vast and growing international database on demographic and health variables.

Wherever possible, the 2005 EDHS data is compared with data from the 2000 EDHS. In addition, where applicable, the 2005 EDHS is compared with the 1990 NFFS, which also sampled women age 15-49. Husbands of currently married women were also covered in this survey. However, for security and other reasons, the NFFS excluded from its coverage Eritrea, Tigray, Asseb, and Ogaden autonomous regions. In addition, fieldwork could not be carried out for Northern Gondar, Southern Gondar, Northern Wello, and Southern Wello due to security reasons. Thus, any comparison between the EDHS and the NFFS has to be interpreted with caution.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Children under five years
• Women age 15-49
• Men age 15-59

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The 2005 EDHS sample was designed to provide estimates for the health and demographic variables of interest for the following domains: Ethiopia as a whole; urban and rural areas of Ethiopia (each as a separate domain); and 11 geographic areas (9 regions and 2 city administrations), namely: Tigray; Affar; Amhara; Oromiya; Somali; Benishangul-Gumuz; Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP); Gambela; Harari; Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. In general, a DHS sample is stratified, clustered and selected in two stages. In the 2005 EDHS a representative sample of approximately 14,500 households from 540 clusters was selected. The sample was selected in two stages. In the first stage, 540 clusters (145 urban and 395 rural) were selected from the list of enumeration areas (EA) from the 1994 Population and Housing Census sample frame.

In the census frame, each of the 11 administrative areas is subdivided into zones and each zone into weredas. In addition to these administrative units, each wereda was subdivided into convenient areas called census EAs. Each EA was either totally urban or rural and the EAs were grouped by administrative wereda. Demarcated cartographic maps as well as census household and population data were also available for each census EA. The 1994 Census provided an adequate frame for drawing the sample for the 2005 EDHS. As in the 2000 EDHS, the 2005 EDHS sampled three of seven zones in the Somali Region (namely, Jijiga, Shinile and Liben). In the Affar Region the incomplete frame used in 2000 was improved adding a list of villages not previously included, to improve the region's representativeness in the survey. However, despite efforts to cover the settled population, there may be some bias in the representativeness of the regional estimates for both the Somali and Affar regions, primarily because the census frame excluded some areas in these regions that had a predominantly nomadic population.

The 540 EAs selected for the EDHS are not distributed by region proportionally to the census population. Thus, the sample for the 2005 EDHS must be weighted to produce national estimates. As part of the second stage, a complete household listing was carried out in each selected cluster. The listing operation lasted for three months from November 2004 to January 2005. Between 24 and 32 households from each cluster were then systematically selected for participation in the survey.

Because of the way the sample was designed, the number of cases in some regions appear small since they are weighted to make the regional distribution nationally representative. Throughout this report, numbers in the tables reflect weighted numbers. To ensure statistical reliability, percentages based on 25 to 49 unweighted cases are shown in parentheses and percentages based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases are suppressed.

Note: See detailed sample implementation table in APPENDIX A of the survey report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

In order to adapt the standard DHS core questionnaires to the specific socio-cultural settings and needs in Ethiopia, its contents were revised through a technical committee composed of senior and experienced demographers of PHCCO. After the draft questionnaires were prepared in English, copies of the household, women’s and men’s questionnaires were distributed to relevant institutions and individual researchers for comments. A one-day workshop was organized on November 22, 2004 at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa to discuss the contents of the questionnaire. Over 50 participants attended the national workshop and their comments and suggestions collected. Based on these comments, further revisions were made on the contents of the questionnaires. Some additional questions were included at the request of MOH, the Fistula Hospital, and USAID. The questionnaires were finalized in English and translated into the three main local languages: Amharic, Oromiffa and Tigrigna. In addition, the DHS core interviewer’s manual for the Women’s and Men’s Questionnaires, the supervisor’s and editor’s manual, and the HIV and anaemia field manual were modified and translated into Amharic.

The Household Questionnaire was used to list all the usual members and visitors in the selected households. Some basic information was collected on the characteristics of each person listed, including age, sex, education, and relationship to the head of the household. The main purpose of the Household Questionnaire was to identify women and men who were eligible for the individual interview. The Household Questionnaire also collected information on characteristics of the household’s dwelling unit, such as the source of water, type of toilet facilities, materials used for the floor and roof of the house, ownership of various durable goods, and ownership and use of mosquito nets. In addition, this questionnaire was used to record height and weight measurements of women age 15-49 and children under the age of five, households eligible for collection of blood samples, and the respondents’ consent to voluntarily give blood samples.

The Women’s Questionnaire was used to collect information from all women age 15-49 years and covered the following topics. - Household and respondent characteristics - Fertility levels and preferences - Knowledge and use of family planning - Childhood mortality - Maternity care - Childhood illness, treatment, and preventative actions - Anaemia levels among women and children - Breastfeeding practices - Nutritional status of women and young children - Malaria prevention and treatment - Marriage and sexual activity - Awareness and behaviour regarding AIDS and STIs - Harmful traditional practices - Maternal mortality

The Men’s Questionnaire was administered to all men age 15-59 years living in every second household in the sample. The Men’s Questionnaire collected similar information contained in the Women’s Questionnaire, but was shorter because it did not contain questions on reproductive

ET: Population: Female: Ages 50-54: % of Female Population data was reported at 2.800 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.766 % for 2016. ET: Population: Female: Ages 50-54: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 2.913 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.088 % in 1960 and a record low of 2.664 % in 2005. ET: Population: Female: Ages 50-54: % of Female 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. Female population between the ages 50 to 54 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Ethiopia ET: Population: Male: Ages 15-19: % of Male Population data was reported at 11.848 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.901 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population: Male: Ages 15-19: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 10.397 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.923 % in 2015 and a record low of 9.432 % in 1980. Ethiopia ET: Population: Male: Ages 15-19: % of Male 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.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 15 to 19 as a percentage of the total male population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

In 1800, the population of Ethiopia was 2.95 million. Like most other Sub-Saharan countries, Ethiopia experienced slow but steady growth for much of the 18th century, and growth which would increase exponentially as the country entered the 20th century. Ethiopia’s population grew more rapidly as the 20th century progressed, however, this growth was offset in the late 1970s, with the beginning of the Ethiopian Civil War and the coinciding Qey Shibir (Red Terror) campaign. However, despite experiencing a significant famine from 1983 to 1985, which would result in approximately one million deaths, Ethiopia’s population would begin to grow rapidly once more, from 35 million in 1980 to 66 million by the beginning of the 21st century. By 2020, Ethiopia is estimated to have a population of almost 115 million, with some experts predicting that Ethiopia may become one of the most populous countries in the world by 2100.

The annual population growth in Ethiopia was 2.6 percent in 2023. Between 1961 and 2023, the population growth rose by 0.15 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Ethiopia ET: Population: Male: Ages 35-39: % of Male Population data was reported at 5.233 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.123 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Population: Male: Ages 35-39: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 5.087 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.375 % in 1960 and a record low of 4.361 % in 2001. Ethiopia ET: Population: Male: Ages 35-39: % of Male 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. Male population between the ages 35 to 39 as a percentage of the total male population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;