Population:
102,374,044
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic groups:
Oromo 34.4%, Amhara (Amara) 27%, Somali (Somalie) 6.2%, Tigray (Tigrinya) 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Gurage 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Afar (Affar) 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Silte 1.3%, Kefficho 1.2%, other 8.8% (2007 est.)

Languages:
Oromo (official working language in the State of Oromiya) 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali (official working language of the State of Sumale) 6.2%, Tigrigna (Tigrinya) (official working language of the State of Tigray) 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar (official working language of the State of Afar) 1.7%, Hadiyya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Opuuo 1.2%, Kafa 1.1%, other 8.1%, English (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic (2007 est.)

Religions:
Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.5%, traditional 2.7%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.6% (2007 est.)

Demographic profile:
Ethiopia is a predominantly agricultural country – more than 80% of the population lives in rural areas – that is in the early stages of demographic transition. Infant, child, and maternal mortality have fallen sharply over the past decade, but the total fertility rate has declined more slowly and the population continues to grow. The rising age of marriage and the increasing proportion of women remaining single have contributed to fertility reduction. While the use of modern contraceptive methods among married women has increased significantly from 6 percent in 2000 to 27 percent in 2012, the overall rate is still quite low. Ethiopia’s rapid population growth is putting increasing pressure on land resources, expanding environmental degradation, and raising vulnerability to food shortages. With more than 40 percent of the population below the age of 15 and a fertility rate of over 5 children per woman (and even higher in rural areas), Ethiopia will have to make further progress in meeting its family planning needs if it is to achieve the age structure necessary for reaping a demographic dividend in the coming decades. Poverty, drought, political repression, and forced government resettlement have driven Ethiopia’s internal and external migration since the 1960s. Before the 1974 revolution, only small numbers of the Ethiopian elite went abroad to study and then returned home, but under the brutal Derg regime thousands fled the country, primarily as refugees. Between 1982 and 1991 there was a new wave of migration to the West for family reunification. Since the defeat of the Derg in 1991, Ethiopians have migrated to escape violence among some of the country’s myriad ethnic groups or to pursue economic opportunities. Internal and international trafficking of women and children for domestic work and prostitution is a growing problem.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.71% (male 22,430,798/female 22,316,910)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 20.04% (male 10,182,973/female 10,332,626)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 29.45% (male 14,970,645/female 15,178,999)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 3.89% (male 1,939,635/female 2,047,041)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 2.91% (male 1,338,985/female 1,635,432) (2016 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 81.6%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 75.2%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 6.3%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 15.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 17.8 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 17.6 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 18 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 217

Population growth rate:
2.88% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
36.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 19.5% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 4.89% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
ADDIS ABABA (capital) 3.238 million (2015)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
19.6
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2011 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
353 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.1 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 58.5 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 43.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 32

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.2 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 59.8 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 64.7 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 194

Total fertility rate:
5.07 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
28.6% (2010/11)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
4.9% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 166
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
0.03 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
6.3 beds/1,000 population (2011)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 93.1% of population rural: 48.6% of population total: 57.3% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 6.9% of population rural: 51.4% of population total: 42.7% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 27.2% of population rural: 28.2% of population total: 28% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 72.8% of population rural: 71.8% of population total: 72% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.15% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
730,300 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
23,400 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2016)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
3.3% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 191
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
25.2% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 15
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
4.5% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 85
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 49.1%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 57.2%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 41.1% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 9 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 8 years (2012)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 10,693,164
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 53% (2005 est.)
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - percentage country ranks ]

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 7.3%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 5%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 9.6% (2013 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 36