Ethiopia Demographics

Population of Ethiopia (2026)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Ethiopia

Ethiopia Population
138,902,185
see live
Yearly Change
+2.53%
Global Share
1.7%
Global Rank
10

Median Age

The median age in Ethiopia is 19.3 years (2026).

Fertility in Ethiopia

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility : the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
3.72
(Live Births per Woman, 2026)

Life Expectancy in Ethiopia

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
68.1
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
71.6
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
64.9
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Ethiopia


Infant Mortality
29.9
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
40.5
(per 1,000 live births)


Ethiopia Urban Population

Currently, 24.6% of the population of Ethiopia is urban (34,161,990 people in 2026)


Population Density

The 2026 population density in Ethiopia is 127 people per km² (328 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 1,096,570 km² (423,388 sq. miles).

Largest Cities and Towns in Ethiopia

The 30 largest of 216 cities and towns, ranked by population projections for July 1, 2022 (by Ethiopian Statistics Service).

RankCity or TownPopulation
1Addis Ababa3,860,000
2Gondar466,000
3MekeleDebub Mekele & Semen Mekele457,900
4Adama456,900
5Hawassa422,200
6Bahir Dar350,000
7Dire Dawa343,000
8Dessie270,400
9Jimma250,900
10Shashemene208,400
11Bishoftu207,400
12Sodo204,100
13Arba Minch201,000
14Jijiga198,000
15Hosaena188,200
16Dilla158,800
17Harar157,000
18Nekemte156,000
19Debre Birhan146,900
20Debre Markos140,700
21Asela139,500
22Kombolcha132,100
23Debre Tabor125,300
24Adigrat121,800
25Weldiya104,000
26Sebeta102,300
27Burayu101,400
28Shire Inda Silase100,100
29Ambo99,900
30Arsi Negele98,100
See all 216 cities and towns in Ethiopia

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64] ) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.