As of 2020, the median age stood at 19.5 years in Ethiopia, which is an increase of nearly a year compared to the previous four years. Despite the increment, the median age remained low, indicating a high fertility rate among Ethiopian population. Looking at the population from a different perspective, the human development index scored countries based on health and living standards, in which Ethiopia registered a steady but low level of development in 2019. The country experienced a slight increase in the HDI score since the previous year, which was 0.48. Other measures such as the gender gap index and the economic freedom give further insights into Ethiopia’s population.

Gender gap index score

The overall gender gap index score of Ethiopia amounted to 0.69, ranking 97th out of 156 listed countries globally in 2021. It indicates the discrepancy between genders in four different areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Categorizing the index score by industry, Ethiopia scored low (0.38) in political empowerment in 2021, indicating a low share of women in politics. Health and survival, on the other hand, had a more equal score of 0.97.

Economic freedom in Ethiopia

 Concerning the economic freedom of Ethiopia, which is an index based on 12 categories ranging from property rights to financial possibilities, the country scored 53.6 in 2021. This was slightly lower compared to Africa’s average (55.1). However, Ethiopia registered a steady increase from 2013 onwards, indicating slight improvements in the economic freedom of the people living there.

This line chart displays median age (year) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Ethiopia. The data is about countries per year.

The life expectancy experiences significant growth in all gender groups in 2023. As part of the positive trend, the life expectancy reaches the maximum value for the different genders at the end of the comparison period. Particularly noteworthy is the life expectancy of women at birth, which has the highest value of 70.73 years. Life expectancy at birth refers to the number of years that the average newborn can expect to live, providing that mortality patterns at the time of their birth do not change thereafter.Find further similar statistics for other countries or regions like Panama and Senegal.

Ethiopia: Population ages 65 and above, percent of total: The latest value from 2023 is 3.17 percent, an increase from 3.12 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 10.17 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Ethiopia from 1960 to 2023 is 2.78 percent. The minimum value, 2.61 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 3.17 percent was recorded in 2023.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by country using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Ethiopia. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for Ethiopia (SPPOP65UPTOZSETH) from 1960 to 2024 about 65-years +, Ethiopia, and population.

This dataset is about countries per year in Ethiopia. It has 64 rows. It features 4 columns: country, birth rate, and median age.

This statistic shows the age structure in Ethiopia from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, about 39.37 percent of Ethiopia's total population were aged 0 to 14 years.

Ethiopia ET: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Old data was reported at 6.305 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.328 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Old data is updated yearly, averaging 6.132 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.351 % in 2013 and a record low of 4.752 % in 1965. Ethiopia ET: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Old 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. Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 15 to 64 for Ethiopia (SPPOP1564TOZSETH) from 1960 to 2024 about Ethiopia, 15 to 64 years, and population.

Ethiopia ET: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data was reported at 72.521 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 74.197 % for 2016. Ethiopia ET: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data is updated yearly, averaging 87.044 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92.966 % in 1997 and a record low of 72.521 % in 2017. Ethiopia ET: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young 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. Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

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.; ;

This scatter chart displays inflation (annual %) against median age (year) in Ethiopia. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against incidence of HIV (per 1,000 uninfected population) in Ethiopia. The data is about countries per year.

Graph and download economic data for Age Dependency Ratio: Older Dependents to Working-Age Population for Ethiopia (SPPOPDPNDOLETH) from 1960 to 2024 about 64 years +, Ethiopia, working-age, ratio, and population.

SP.POP.GROW. 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. This database presents population and other demographic estimates and projections from 1960 to 2050, covering more than 200 economies. It includes population data by various age groups, sex, urban/rural; fertility data; mortality data; and migration data.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Ethiopia (SPDYNLE00INETH) from 1960 to 2023 about life expectancy, Ethiopia, life, and birth.

Africa has the youngest population in the world. Among the 35 countries with the lowest median age worldwide, only three fall outside the continent. In 2023, the median age in Niger was 15.1 years, the youngest country. This means that at this age point, half of the population was younger and half older. A young population reflects several demographic characteristics of a country. For instance, together with a high population growth, life expectancy in Western Africa is low: this reached 57 years for men and 59 for women. Overall, Africa has the lowest life expectancy in the world.

Africa’s population is still growing Africa’s population growth can be linked to a high fertility rate along with a drop in death rates. Despite the fertility rate on the continent, following a constant declining trend, it remains far higher compared to all other regions worldwide. It was forecast to reach 4.12 children per woman, compared to a worldwide average of 2.31 children per woman in 2024. Furthermore, the crude death rate in Africa overall dropped, only increasing slightly during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The largest populations on the continent Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the most populous African countries. In 2023, people living in Nigeria amounted to around 224 million, while the number for the three other countries exceeded 100 million each. Of those, the Democratic Republic of Congo sustained the fourth-highest fertility rate in Africa. Nigeria and Ethiopia also had high rates, with 5.24 and 4.16 births per woman, respectively. Although such a high fertility rate is expected to slow down, it will still impact the population structure, growing younger nations.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against net energy imports (% of energy use) in Ethiopia. The data is about countries per year.