Demography of Ethiopia

Population pyramid of Ethiopia (2017)

With a population of 112 million people in 2019, Ethiopia was ranked 12th in the ranking of countries by population and is the second most populous country on the African continent . It is also the most populous landlocked country in the world. The annual population growth was around 2.6 percent in 2018 and is therefore very high. Thanks to falling mortality and high birth rates, the population has more than quadrupled since 1950. Rapid population growth in Ethiopia is putting increasing pressure on land resources. Ethiopia has experienced several severe famines in the past . With the positive economic development of the country from the beginning of the 21st century, however, hunger and the associated extreme poverty could be significantly reduced. Between 2000 and 2017, the proportion of undernourished people fell from 52 to 20.6 percent. In the meantime, there is also a trend towards smaller families, which is why relative growth is beginning to decline very slowly. Life expectancy has also increased significantly, while significantly fewer children and mothers died at birth and significantly more children go to school. With a median age of the population of 19.8 years, the country has a population structure that is typical of a developing African country and is still at the beginning of the demographic transition . Ethiopia is a predominantly agricultural country and more than 80% of the population live in rural areas. In the meantime, however, urbanization is increasing . By far the largest population center is the capital Addis Ababa with almost 4 million inhabitants.

The roots of today's Ethiopian state go back to the ancient Aksumite Empire , which is the origin of today's Ethiopian culture. Although Ethiopia is one of the few natural nation states in Africa and has never been fully colonized, its population is not homogeneous. There are a multitude of ethnic groups and languages in the country, and all three Abrahamic religions have significant following. Most of the country's peoples speak Afro-Asian languages and are related to the populations of Eritrea , Somalia, and the Arabian Peninsula . However, there are also Nilotic peoples in Ethiopia , who differ significantly in language and culture from the majority population. The recent history of Ethiopia has been shaped by the complex relationships between the various ethnic groups and has not been free from tensions.

The first census in Ethiopia was carried out in 1984. Older populations are therefore estimates. The last census took place in 2007 and showed a population of 73.7 million. However, the census was politically controversial and the population of various regions is said to have been manipulated downwards in a targeted manner. Another census was announced for 2017, but had to be postponed several times so far.

Births and deaths

The following table gives an overview of the long-term periodic development of births and deaths.

period	Number of births	Number of births per 1000 people	Number of deaths	Number of deaths per 1,000 people	Fertility per woman	Child mortality per 1000 births
1950-1955	4,689,000	49.3	2,850,000	29.9	7.17	333
1955-1960	5,034,000	47.8	2,810,000	26.7	6.90	305
1960-1965	5,659,000	48.0	2,776,000	23.5	6.90	270
1965-1970	6,360,000	47.6	2,917,000	21.8	6.87	250
1970-1975	7,406,000	48.6	3,195,000	21.0	7.10	237
1975-1980	8,213,000	48.5	3,526,000	20.8	7.18	230
1980-1985	9,335,000	49.3	4,073,000	21.5	7.42	237
1985-1990	10,682,000	48.3	4,212,000	19.0	7.37	212
1990-1995	12,237,000	46.6	4,535,000	17.3	7.09	190
1995-2000	14,015,000	45.5	4,683,000	15.2	6.83	156
2000-2005	14,800,000	41.5	4,528,000	12.7	6.18	123
2005-2010	15,288,000	37.3	3,944,000	9.6	5.45	91
2010-2015	16,371,000	34.7	3,576,000	7.6	4.85	68
2015-2020	17,572,000	32.6	3,594,000	6.7	4.13	55

Population development

The population of what is now Ethiopia was estimated to be less than three million in 1800. By 1900 it had risen to just under nine million inhabitants and in 1950 was already 18 million. A population boom occurred in the second half of the 20th century despite several famines. The reason for this was a falling mortality rate, which was due to the introduction of modern medicine. According to calculations, the number of inhabitants exceeded 100 million in 2015. The number of children per woman in 2011 was 4.6, ranging from 1.5 in urban Addis Ababa to 7.1 in the poor Somali region . The number of children is slowly beginning to decline, but child mortality is also falling and the population remains very young, which means that the overall population continues to grow at a high rate. Based on current trends in mortality, births and migration, the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations estimates over 205 million inhabitants in 2050.

year	population
1800	2,950,000
1850	4,520,000
1900	8,990,000
1910	10,320,000
1920	11,860,000
1930	13,650,000
1940	15,730,000
1950	18,230,000
1960	22,150,000
1970	28,410,000
1980	35,140,000
1990	47,890,000
2000	66,220,000
2010	87,640,000
2019	112,080,000

Population distribution

Regions of Ethiopia

The highest population density is found in the highlands of the north and in the middle of the country, especially in the centrally located capital Addis Ababa . The far east and southeast are only sparsely populated. Ethiopia has been divided into nine regions and two independent cities since 1998. The regions are drawn according to ethnic and cultural lines. Thus, in the region, are Somali , the ethnic group of the Somali majority. The constitution guarantees the regions extensive powers. The regions can set up their own government and set up their own democratic organization within the framework of the federal constitution. Each region has its own parliament, into which the deputies from the districts are directly elected. The regional parliaments have appropriate legislative and executive powers to regulate the internal affairs of the states. Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution, at least in theory, grants every region the right to break away from Ethiopia (right of secession ). There are also strong political demands for the creation of new regions for ethnic groups that are not yet represented with their own region.

Regions of Ethiopia

region	Population (1994)	Population (2007)	ethnicities
Addis Ababa	2,112,737	2,739,551	Amharen , Oromo , Gurage , Tigray and others a.
Afar	1,106,383	1,390,273	Afar
Amhara	13,834,297	17,221,976	Amhars
Benishangul-Gumuz	460,459	784.345	Berta , Gumuz
Dire Dawa	251.864	341.834	Oromo , Amharen , Somali
Gambela	181,862	307.096	Well , Anuak
Harar	131.139	183,415	Aderi , Oromo , Somali
Oromia	18,732,525	26,993,933	Oromo
Somali	3,152,704	4,445,219	Somali
SNNPR	3,136,267	4,316,988	Sidama , Wolaytta , Hadiyya , Gurage et al
Tigray	10,377,028	14,929,548	Tigray

Ethnic groups

Tigrinya

Amhara

Oromos

Mursi in southern Ethiopia

The population of Ethiopia is extremely diverse and includes over 80 different ethnic groups. Many groups are also divided into further tribes, clans and subgroups, so that the country results in an ethnolinguistic mosaic. The vast majority of ethnic groups belong to the Semitic, Cushitic, or Oomotic groups who speak all languages of the Afro-Asian language family. A small number of peoples belong to a fourth group, the Nilots, who speak languages of the Nilo-Saharan language family. The Semites include a. the Amharen , Tigrinya , Gurage , Harari and Silt'e . The Cushites include a. the Oromo , Somali , Agau , Kimanti , Saho , Afar and Sidama . The omotes include a. the Wolaytta , Gamo and Dorze and belong to the Niloten u. a. the Agnuak , Nuer , Megengir , Berta and Gumuz . The traditionally predominant group were the Amhars residing in the north and in the center, who were the members of the Solomon dynasty , which ruled Ethiopia for 700 years. Under Emperor Menelik II , Ethiopia expanded south and east in the 19th century, through the conquest of the western Oromo (now Shoan Oromo), Sidama, Gurage, Wolayta and other groups, which led to and closed to the borders of modern Ethiopia an even more mixed state. The predominance of the Amhars, who still make up around 27 percent of the population today, led to the establishment of the Oromo Liberation Front in the 1970s and the civil war that led to the overthrow of the last emperor, Haile Selassie in 1974. Then the Marxist Derg regime was established under Mengistu Haile Mariam . In 1977 Somalia invaded Eastern Ethiopia and tried to annex the Ogaden region , which is mostly populated by Somalis, but was pushed back by Ethiopian, Soviet and Cuban armed forces. After severe famine, Ethiopia experienced another civil war that led to the overthrow of the Derg in 1991. The new regime was led by members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front , who represent the Tigrinya ethnic group . In 1998, the People's Liberation Front of Tigray merged with the Democratic Organization of the Oromo People in Oromia , the National Democratic Movement of the Amhars in Amhara , the Democratic Front of the South Ethiopian Peoples in the Region of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples to form the new Unity Party, the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian Peoples united. The Tigrinya then played a dominant role in the new state apparatus at the expense of the Amhars and Oromo. In 1998, ethnic federalism was finally introduced, which divided the country into autonomous regions based on ethno-linguistic criteria. Politics and society, however, remain divided along ethnic lines. Controversy over increasingly scarce land and resources leads to increased conflict between ethnic groups and armed ethnic militias are still active in the country and pursue separatist goals. In recent years there have been increasing conflicts in the Oromia region, where the Oromo, the numerically largest people in the country, see themselves as marginalized by the central government. Under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed , who is half Oromo and half Amhara and took office in 2018, ethnic differences in politics should no longer play a role and the ethnically based Democratic Front of the Ethiopian peoples has since been dissolved. In 2019, however, the conflicts intensified and 3 million people were displaced in ethnic conflicts in southern Ethiopia and the Oromia region.

Most of the peoples of Ethiopia are very different from populations in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic studies of Ethiopians belonging to Semitic and Cushitic ethnic groups, mostly from the north of the country (the Oromo, Amhara, Tigray, and Gurage), estimate that about 40% of their autosomal ancestry is from ancient non-African immigration from the Middle East and about 60% are autochthonous East African origins. An autosomal DNA study based on cluster analysis examining a combined sample from Amhara and Oromo found that 62% of Ethiopians fall into the same cluster of Ashkenazi Jews , Norwegians and Armenians because of their genes . Only 24% of Ethiopians belonged to the same group with African bantus .


Ethnic group	Language family	2007 census
Ethnic group	Language family	number	%
Oromo	Afro-Asian	25,489,024	34.49
Amhara	Afro-Asian	19,870,651	26.89
Somali	Afro-Asian	4,581,794	6.21
Tigrinya	Afro-Asian	4,483,892	6.07
Sidama	Afro-Asian	2,966,474	4.01
Gurage	Afro-Asian	1,867,377	2.53
Wolaytta	Omotic	1,707,079	2.51
Hadiyya	Afro-Asian	1,284,373	1.74
Afar	Afro-Asian	1,276,374	1.73
Gamo	Omotic	1,107,163	1.50
Gedeo	Afro-Asian	986.977	1.34
Silt'e	Afro-Asian	940.766	1.27
Kafficho	Omotic	870.213	1.18
Others		6,318,775	8.53
total		73.750.932	100

languages

According to SIL International, there are 86 individual languages in Ethiopia, with 77 languages spoken locally according to the 1994 Ethiopian census. A total of up to 200 languages and dialects are spoken. Some of the country's languages are critically endangered while others have many millions of speakers. Different regions of the country often have their own regional official languages. Most of these languages belong to the Afro-Asian family, including Semitic , Hamitic, and Cushitic languages ( Ottoman languages are also spoken, but their classification as Afro-Asian remains controversial). In addition, Nilotic languages, which are part of the Nilo-Saharan language family, are spoken. In terms of writing systems, Ethiopia's main orthography is the Ge'ez script . Used as an abugida for several national languages, it was first used in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Used. Over the years, other writing systems have also been used by various Ethiopian communities. This includes the Arabic script for writing some Ethiopian languages spoken by Muslim populations, and Latin script is also used for some of the country's languages.

According to the 2007 Ethiopian census, the most common mother tongues are: Oromo with 24,930,424 speakers or 33.80% of the population, Amharic with 21,634,396 or 29.30% of the population, Somali with 4,609,274 or 6.25%, Tigrinya with 4,324,476 or 5.86%, Sidamo 2,981,471 or 4.84%, Wolaytta 1,627,784 or 2.21%, Gurage with 1,481,783 or 2.01%, and Afar with 1,281,278 or 1, 74%. Arabic , which is also part of the Afro-Asian language family, is also understood in some areas of Ethiopia. Many Muslim Ethiopians can also speak Arabic because of their religious background. English is the most widely spoken foreign language and it is also taught in many schools. In Ethiopia a kind of linguistic federalism has developed over time and regions have their own lingua franca.

The borders of individual states were drawn along language borders and here the regional languages Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali, Afar and Harari serve as the working language of the authorities; In addition to the Amhara region, Amharic is also the working language in the ethnically and linguistically mixed regions of Gambela , Benishangul-Gumuz and in the region of the southern nations, nationalities and peoples . English is the language of instruction in secondary schools. Other languages such as Sidama and Kafficho are used locally in primary schools. Amhara is the country's official language. In 2020 the government of Ethiopia decided to allow Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali and Afar as further official languages at the federal level.

religion

A wide variety of religions and beliefs are practiced in Ethiopia. The vast majority of the population are followers of the monotheistic Abrahamic religions. In a 2018 survey, 98% of Ethiopians said they care about religion, which is one of the highest values in the world. The Christianity ( Ethiopian Orthodox , Pentay , Roman Catholic ) followed with 62.8% of the population the largest religion in the country, from the Islam of 33.9%. There is also a very old but small Jewish community, Beta Israel . Some followers of the Bahá'í Faith also exist in a number of urban and rural areas. In addition, there are some followers of traditional beliefs who mainly live in the southwest of the country.

According to the 2007 census, over 32 million people, or 43.5%, were Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, over 25 million or 33.9% were Muslim, 13.7 million and 18.6% were Protestants, and under two million or 2.6 % were followers of traditional religions. Neither the 2007 census nor the 1994 census reported responses in greater detail: For example, those who identified themselves as Hindus , Jews, Bahá'ís, agnostics, or atheists were counted as others. According to the results of the census, Protestants and Muslims were the fastest growing religious groups in the country.

The Kingdom of Aksum in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea was one of the first Christian countries in the world after it had officially adopted Christianity, represented by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as the state religion in the 4th century . Ethiopia was one of the few regions in Africa that survived Islam's expansion as a Christian state. Since 1974, however, Christianity is no longer the state religion of Ethiopia.

Freedom of religion is provided for in the 1995 Constitution, and freedom of religion was also guaranteed in the 1930 and 1955 Constitutions of Ethiopia, although this principle is not always observed in practice in certain areas. Discrimination against Muslims has been widespread since the creation of modern Ethiopia. Muslims were marginalized in the era of Haile Selassie. Haile Selassie actually came to power as opposition to Muslims in government positions increased. US Ambassador David H. Shinn declared in 2005 that the Ethiopian leadership remains largely Christian.

Religion in Ethiopia by Region

region	1994	2007	1994	2007	1994	2007	1994	2007	1994	2007	1994	2007	1994	2007
region	Christians		Ethiopian Orthodox		Protestants		Catholics		Muslims		Folk religions		Others
Addis Ababa	86.7%	83.0%	82.0%	74.7%	3.9%	7.8%	0.8%	0.5%	12.7%	16.2%				0.8%
Afar	4.4%	4.7%	3.9%	3.9%	0.4%	0.7%	0.1%	0.1%	95.6%	95.3%
Amhara	81.6%	82.7%	81.5%	82.5%	0.1%	0.2%			18.1%	17.2%				0.1%
Benishangul-Gumuz	40.6%	46.5%	34.8%	33.0%	5.8%	13.5%			44.1%	45.4%	13.1%	7.1%
Dire Dawa	36.7%	28.8%	34.5%	25.7%	1.5%	2.8%	0.7%	0.4%	63.2%	70.9%			0.1%	0.3%
Gambela	71.3%	90.2%	24.1%	16.8%	44.0%	70.0%	3.2%	3.4%	5.2%	4.9%	10.3%	3.8%		1.1%
Harar	39.5%	30.8%	38.1%	27.1%	0.9%	3.4%	0.5%	0.3%	60.3%	69.0%				0.2%
Oromia	49.9%	48.2%	41.3%	30.5%	8.6%	17.7%			44.3%	47.5%	4.2%	3.3%		1.1%
Somali	0.9%	0.6%	0.9%	0.6%					98.7%	98.4%			0.3%	1.0%
SNNPR	65.4%	77.8%	27.6%	19.9%	34.8%	55.5%	3.0%	2.4%	16.7%	14.1%	15.4%	6.6%		1.5%
Tigray	95.9%	96.1%	95.5%	95.6%		0.1%	0.4%	0.4%	4.1%	4.0%

education

Education in Ethiopia was dominated by the Tewahedo Church for many centuries until secular secular education was first introduced in the early 20th century. Before 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated illiteracy rate of well over 90% and, in terms of the provision of schools and universities, it was one of the lowest places, even in Africa. After the Ethiopian Revolution, the focus was on improving literacy in rural areas. Practical issues were emphasized as well as the doctrine of socialism . However, broader education failed due to widespread child labor, a lack of money and armed conflicts. In recent years, the education system has seen a recent expansion and in 2015 government spending on education was 4.7 percent of gross domestic product and over 27 percent of total government spending. However, as the national income was very low and the number of students was very high, the expenditure per student was very low. Classes are often very large and teachers are often underqualified. According to government figures for 2013, 84.1 percent of girls and 87.7 percent of boys attend primary school, but not all children finish primary school. According to this, a total of 38.4 percent received secondary education. The tertiary education sector has been developed in an ambitious way and in 2018 there are 37 universities in the country, while in 1995 there were only two state universities in Ethiopia. The number of students rose from 35,000 in 1995 to more than 757,000 in 2014.

Many elementary schools have introduced mother tongue teaching but have difficulties when it comes to languages of small minorities. English teaching remains a problem in the later years of education. Girls' access to education has improved, but early marriage reduces their participation. Girls' educational attainment is adversely affected by gender stereotypes, violence and poor sanitation.

The literacy rate has increased in recent years: According to the 1994 census, the literacy rate in Ethiopia was 23.4%. In 2007 it was given as 39% (men 49.1% and women 28.9%). By 2017 it rose further to 51.8% (men 57.2% and women 44.4%).

health

Development of child mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ethiopia

The biggest health problems in Ethiopia are communicable diseases, made worse by poor sanitation and malnutrition. Almost half of the population has no access to clean water and adequate sanitation, and a fifth is malnourished. These problems are exacerbated by the lack of trained doctors, nurses, and good health facilities. According to the World Health Organization , there were only 0.08 doctors for every 1000 inhabitants in Ethiopia in 2018. The low availability of health professionals with modern medical training and the lack of funds for medical services mean that less reliable traditional healers who have used home therapies to cure common ailments predominate.

There are large differences in health care between urban and rural areas. Urban birth rates, child mortality rates and mortality rates are lower than in rural areas due to better access to education, medicine and hospitals. The country has made significant strides in improving various health indicators since the 1990s. Life expectancy rose by almost 20 years from 47 years in 2000 to 67 years in 2018. The government has also improved access to family planning and health facilities, even if there is not yet an adequate system of universal health care. In 2017, government spending on health amounted to 3.5 percent of economic output.

In 2018, 1 percent of the population was HIV positive (in 1990 it was 2.8 percent). This is a lower rate than many other African countries, but higher than the global average. Another health risk is the spread of female genital mutilation . This cultural practice was made illegal in Ethiopia in 2004. Male circumcision is also practiced in the country and reports suggest that more than half of Ethiopia's male population are circumcised.

Development of life expectancy

Period	Life expectancy in years	Period	Life expectancy in years
1950-1955	34.1	1985-1990	46.2
1955-1960	36.7	1990-1995	48.1
1960-1965	40.1	1995-2000	50.7
1965-1970	42.1	2000-2005	53.6
1970-1975	43.5	2005-2010	59.1
1975-1980	44.3	2010-2015	63.7
1980-1985	43.5	2015-2020	65.7

Source: UN World Population Prospects

migration

Poverty, drought, political repression and forced resettlement by the government have fueled internal and external migration in Ethiopia since the 1960s. Before the 1974 revolution, few Ethiopians went abroad to study and then returned home. However, under the Derg regime , thousands fled the country, mostly as refugees. Between 1982 and 1991 there was a new wave of migrants to the West for family reunification. Since the Derg lost power in 1991, Ethiopians have emigrated to escape violence among some of the country's myriad ethnic groups or to take advantage of economic opportunities. There is therefore an Ethiopian diaspora in countries like the United States , Italy , Sweden , Germany , Israel and Switzerland . At the same time, around one million people from abroad also live in Ethiopia. Most are refugees from South Sudan , Eritrea and Somalia.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations. Retrieved July 28, 2020 .

↑ Population growth (annual%) - Ethiopia | Data. Retrieved July 28, 2020 .

↑ Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) - Ethiopia | Data. Retrieved July 28, 2020 .

↑ Why Ethiopia has postponed its census . In: The Economist . ISSN 0013-0613 ( economist.com [accessed July 28, 2020]).

↑ Population, total - Ethiopia | Data. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .

↑ MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys . Retrieved July 29, 2020.

^ Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina: World Population Growth . In: Our World in Data . May 9, 2013 ( ourworldindata.org [accessed July 27, 2020]).

↑ Ethiopia - Ethnic groups and languages. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .

^ The post 1991 'inter-ethnic' conflicts in Ethiopia: An investigation. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .

↑ Ethnic violence in Ethiopia has forced nearly 3 million people from their homes. In: LA Times. May 30, 2019, Retrieved July 29, 2020 (American English).

^ G Passarino, O Semino, L Quintanamurci, L Excoffier, M Hammer, A Santachiarabenerecetti: Different genetic components in the Ethiopian population, identified by mtDNA and Y-chromosome polymorphisms . In: The American Journal of Human Genetics . 62, No. 2, 1998, pp. 420-34. doi : 10.1086 / 301702 . PMID 9463310 . PMC 1376879 (free full text).

↑ James F. Wilson, Michael E. Weale, Alice C. Smith, Fiona Gratrix, Benjamin Fletcher, Mark G. Thomas, Neil Bradman, David B. Goldstein: Population genetic structure of variable drug response . In: Nature Genetics . 29, No. 3, 2001, pp. 265-9. doi : 10.1038 / ng761 . PMID 11685208 .

↑ ^a ^b Statistical Tables for the 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Country Level . Central Statistical Agency . Pp. 91-92. 2007. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved on August 12, 2011.

↑ Ethiopia. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).

↑ Basic information of the Ethiopian Parliament ( memento of the original from July 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the regions, including their working languages @1@ 2

^ Samuel Getachew: Ethiopia is adding four more official languages to Amharic as political instability mounts. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).

↑ 1615 L. St NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA202-419-4300 | Main202-419-4349 | Fax202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries: Religious commitment by country and age. In: Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. June 13, 2018, Retrieved July 28, 2020 (American English).