Table of Contents Page

I.Introduction................................................................................................................................. 2
1. Population................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1.Population Data: Uses and Sources ...........................................................................3
1.2. Population Dynamics: Fertility, Mortality and Migration................................4
1.2.1. Demographic Measurements............................................................................... 4
1.2.2. Levels and trends in Fertility and Mortality rates in Ethiopia...............6
1.2.3. Migration in Ethiopia and the Horn..................................................................6
2.Population Distribution in Ethiopia.................................................................................. 9
2.1. Measures of Population Distribution....................................................................10
2.2 Spatial distribution of population……………………………………………………...10
2.3. Factors Affecting Population Distribution in Ethiopia...................................10
3. Socio-cultural Aspects of Ethiopian Population………………………………………11
3.1.Education........................................................................................................................... 11
3.2.Health................................................................................................................................... 11
3.3. Languages Families and Languages of Ethiopia................................................11
4. Types of Settlement ......................................................................................................... 13
5. Population policy of Ethiopia…………………………………………………………………14
5.1 Types of population policy in Ethiopia ……………………………………………..15
Unit summary………………………………………………………………………………….……16

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I. INTRODUCTION

This unit deals with population of the Ethiopia. It describe about their size and
trend of population growth, dynamics of population structure and spatial
distribution of population, urbanization, and population policy of Ethiopia and
a change in the overall size of a population is result of the collective effects of
changes in fertility,mortality and migration. The three factory are collectively
known as population-change dynamics or determinatd or components.

Many disciplines like Geography, Demography, Economics, Epidemiology,

Sociology and many more study human population. Their differences lie in the
methodologies they employ and the aspects they emphasize. Since Geography
is basically the study of regional/areal differences in the distribution of
natural and cultural phenomena, the study of population in Geography aims at
showing and explaining regional/spatial differences on population
distribution and densities, population numbers, human-environment
interactions, population dynamics (fertility, mortality and migration), as well
as population characteristics and qualities (age, sex, education and health
composition etc.).

Population change, being affected by births, deaths and migrations, it is necessary

to have data on these components so that their trends into the future can be
predicted. The course that these components would take is not easy to predict in
most developing countries as their changes are affected by several factors –
population and health policies and related programs, cost of healthcare, education,
communication, employment opportunities, income levels,

Population numbers, dynamics, densities, characteristics and qualities vary in

space. These variations can be studied at different levels: district, provincial,
regional, national, continental and global. The concern, in our case, is to study
the densities, characteristics and some qualities of the population of Ethiopia.

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1. Population
A population is defined as group of individuals of the same species living and
interbreeding within a given area. Some statisticians call it universe. A
population containing a finite number of individuals, members or units is a
class. Population with infinite number of members is known as infinite
population. The population of pressures at various points in the atmosphere is
an example of infinite population.The population of concrete individuals is
called as existent population, while as the collection of all possible ways in
which an event can materialize as the hypothetical population.
1.1.Population Data: Uses and Sources .
Regular and reliable population data are vital for effective socio-economic
development population data source include.
There are three conventional sources of obtaining population data.
A. Census
B. Sample survey
C. Vita Registration
A. Census
The total process of collecting, compiling and publishing demographic,
economic and social data pertaining at a specified time (s) to all persons in
a defined territory.
Its major characteristics include:
 Universality
 Periodicity
 Simultaneity
 Government sponsorship
B. Sample Survey
This is a method in which a defined population/sample/ is selected with the
view that information acquired would represent the entire population. This
method is advantageous over census as costs can be greatly reduced; and it is
simple to administer and taken much faster. Sampling may also be used with
censuses in order to obtain more detailed information to supplement census
data
Data from most censuses and sample surveys include geographic location, age,
sex, marital status, citizenship, and place of birth, relationship to the head of
household, religion, educational characteristics, occupation, fertility, income,
language, ethnic characteristics, disabilities and migration.

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C. Vital Registration
Vital registration is a system of continuous, permanent, compulsory and legal
recording of the occurrence and the characteristics of vital events like births,
deaths, marriages, divorces, and adoptions. Vital registration data tend to be
more precise than that of census/sample survey and the system provides time
series data.

1.2. Population Dynamics: Fertility, Mortality and Migration .

Ethiopia’s total fertility rate is one of the highest in world. In 1984. TFR was
7.52 per women. By 1994 it drop to 6.74 and then to 5.4 in 2010. There is
significant fertility variation between urban and rural areas for example in
1984 TFR in urban areas was 6.33, while it was 8.08 in rural areas. In 2010
these rates respectively dropped to 4.5 and 7.19.

Mortality is the measure of frequency of death in population. Ethiopia has one

of the highest level of mortality in the world. The main causes of such as high
mortality are the effects of poverty, low living standards and poor access to
health services, civil war, recurrent drought and famine. Deaths of children
under the age five account for over half of all death in the country. the main
causes of children death are measles, malaria, malnutrition, and acute
respiratory infection such as pneumonia and influenz

Migration to be the permanent or quasi-permanent relocation, for a

substantial duration of an individual or group of individuals from a place of
origin to a place of origin to a place of destination.

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1.2.1. Demographic Measurements

In Ethiopia, fertility and mortality are the two principal determinants of

population growth as international migration is insignificant. Some of the
basic demographic measurements include:

1. Crude Birth Rate refers to the number of live births per 1000 population.

CBD=Total annual live birth *1000

Total midyear population
2. General Fertility Rate refers to the total number of live births per women
of reproductive age
GFR =Total annual live birth *1000
Total women 15 _49

3. Total Fertility Rate (T.F.R.) refers to the average number of children that a

woman would have at the end of her reproductive period if the current age

specific fertility rate remains unchanged.

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TFR=5X ΣBi
n=1 Wi
Where, Bi = Total live births in age group i, Wi =Total number of women in age
group I (i =age group i.e. 1= 15-19, 2=20-24 3=25-29, 4 = 30-34, 5 = 35-39,
6=40-44, 7 = 45-49)
4. Crude Death Rate refers to the number of deaths per one thousand
populations in a year
CDR = Total annual death *1000
Total live birth

5. Infant Mortality rate refers to the total number of deaths of infants per one

thousand live births

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 IMR=Total annual infant death *1000
Total live birth

6. Maternal Mortality Rate: refers to death of mothers in connection from

pregnancy and birth complications per hundred thousand live birth.
MMR = Total annual maternal death due to birth complication*100,000
Total live birth

7. Life Expectancy at birth: refers to the average number of years that a

newly born baby is expected to live. It is used as a summary measure of the
mortality experience of the whole population.
8. Natural Rate of Increase: is the difference between crude birth rate and
crude death rate expressed in percentage.
NRI= (C.B.R. - C.D.R.)

1.2.2. Levels and trends in Fertility and Mortality rates in Ethiopia

Birth and death rates show significant spatiotemporal variation. Clear
differences in birth and death rates are emerging between rural and urban
areas of Ethiopia. Urban areas have lower birth and death rates compared to
rural areas implying that living and health conditions are better and, perhaps,
family planning programme is gaining ground. Women in rural areas have an
average of 5.2 children, compared to 2.3 children among women in urban
areas.
Looking at TFR by region, in 2016 fertility was the lowest in Addis Ababa (1.8
children per woman) followed by Dire Dawa (3.1), Gambella (3.5), and
Amhara (3.7); while regions that have TFR rates more than the national
average are Somali (7.2), Afar (5.5), Oromia (5.4), and Tigray (4.7). Recently,
fertility is showing a declining trend. Total fertility rate (TFR) declined from
7.52 in 1984 to 6.74 in 1994, and currently, women in Ethiopia have an
average of 4.6 children.
Similarly, mortality rates are also showing a declining trend. Before 2000,
almost all regional states recorded more than 100 infant deaths per 1,000 live
births, but by 2011 infant mortality in all regions was lower than 100, except
for Benishangul Gumuz. Mortality rates also show considerable variation by
reigns. In 2016, IMR at the country level was 54 where it was 48 in urban
areas and 62 in rural Ethiopia. Accordingly, lower than national average infant
mortality rate was recorded in Addis Ababa followed by Somali and Gambella;
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while higher IMR was recorded in Benishangul, followed by SNNPR and
Tigray.
1.2.3. Migration in Ethiopia and the Horn
Migration is an old and inevitable phenomenon, although human mobility has
accelerated these days as a result of economic and technological progress
especially in the fields of communication and transportation. It is considered
as a form of geographic mobility involving a permanent or semi-permanent
change of residence between clearly defined geographic units.

An assessment of human mobility is pivotal for its diverse effects. Some of the
multifaceted implications of migration are indicated hereunder:

 Migration yields an increased level of urbanization;

 It enhances rural-urban linkages in creating an integrated economy
 It influences spatial population distribution
 Migration negatively influences human fertility and mortality patterns
and levels; and affects age and sex composition of the population.
 It is a means of achieving economic efficiency.
 It can also be a cause and consequence of inequality and unequal
development
A. Internal Migration in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, both short and long migratory movements have been going on for
millennia in time and space influenced by demographic, environmental, socio-
economic and political factors.
Population movement in Ethiopia accelerated in the early twenty century with
the rise in urban centers as well as the Italian occupation. However, voluntary
and individual rural out migration during the Derg Regime was low for the
following reasons.

 The 1976/77 „land to the tiller‟ granted land to the rural landless
farmers

 Establishment of urban dwellers association and rural peasant

associations

 Establishment of urban dwellers association and rural peasant

associations
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  During the current regime, the ethnic politics in the country and
associated administrative barriers
 landlessness of emerging rural youth

 drought and rainfall unreliability in the highlands; and land degradation

and the resultant diminished carrying capacity of the land
B. International migration
International migration in Ethiopia accelerated after the 1974 revolution
where many refugees were attempting to escape political conflict, persecution
and famine. Attempt of political centralization and oppression; the
independence struggle of Eritrea from 1961-1991 that led to violent clashes in
the North; and the period of Red Terror between 1976-79 generated massive
emigration from Ethiopia.

The causes of cross-border migration include

 Lack of employment and livelihood opportunities, and negative

attitudes attached with low payment.

 Rural underemployment and lack of resources

 Unfavorable political context and insecurity, civil war and political
turmoil,
 Emergence of „culture of migration‟ and migration networks ,
 Existence of large number of local brokers with networks extending to
countries of destination;
 International Labour Organization/ILO/ in 2016 identified the following
migration source areas of Ethiopia with high and growing incidence of
emigration.
.

.
Age and Sex Structure of Ethiopian Population
Age Structure;- is distribution of population by age groups. The most used
age groups are five-year age groups (0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 60-64, 65 and above) and
broad age groups (0-14, 15-64, 65 and above)

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Table 7.2: Percentage distribution of the population of Ethiopia by broad age
groups in the three consecutive censuses (1984, 1994 and 2007).
Dependency ratio
Census Board Age Group Youth Old age Total
Year dependency dependency dependency
0-4 15-64 65+
1984 49.9 50,0 3.4 107.8 16.2 124.0
1994 45.4 51.4 3.2 92.0 10.7 102.7
2007 45.0 51.9 3.2 86.7 6.1 92.8

Age dependency ratio (A.D.R.) can roughly be used to show the magnitude
of dependency. It is expressed as:
ADR= =P O-14+ *100 Where: P is population in the age groups
P 15-65
Old age index. This index expresses the old age population as the percentage
of the working age population as follows:
OAI = P65+ *100
P15-65
The age distribution of the population of Ethiopia shows that the country has
a youthful population resulting in heavy youth dependency. Heavy youth
dependency has many serious implications on socioeconomic development,
which include:
 diversion of limited resources on social services.
 Imposition of heavy burden on the working population
 allocation of most of the household budget to food and other
household needs with little/nothing left for saving; which then
affects investment
 creation of a society with booming babies that require an
expansion of employment opportunities
 Further promotion of high-level fertility by increased number of
women entering the reproductive age (ages 15-49) annually.
 .All these can negatively affecting capital formation, investment
and development;
Sex Structure
Sex structure refers to the ratio of male population to female population at
different age groups. It is one the basic demographic characteristics of a

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population and very important for demographic analysis because it provieds
useful information about reproductive potential, human resources.
It is usually expressed as:
Sex ratio = Male *10
Female

2.Population Distribution in Ethiopia

Population distribution refers to the arrangement of people over space that is
provided for them to settle and make a living through exploiting resources.
The distribution of population in Ethiopia is very uneven as a result of
physical and human factors.

2.1. Measures of Population Distribution

Population Density
Population density refers to the number of people per unit area. There are
several ways of expressing population density, three of which will be
mentioned here.

Crude Density
Crude density is found by dividing total population to total area. This kind of
density is called crude because it does not show variations in population
distribution within a given area.
Agricultural Density
This is a kind of density, which takes only agricultural population as a
numerator and cultivated land as a denominator. It is also called rural density
since in most developing countries there is not a significant difference
between rural and agricultural population Physiological density is a ratio
between total population and arable part of a country. This density measure is
more meaningful than both crude and physiological density measures as it
gives a better indication of the pressure of population on land resources.

2.2 Spatial distribution of population

Spatial distribution of population is the pattern created as result of human
occupation of land surface for settlement. The pattern of Ethiopian population
distribution is markedly uneven. For example we have very high population
density in the highlands. On the other hand the peripheral lowland of country
which account for more than 50% of the total area of the country are very
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sparsely populated. There are variations in the distribution at the national
level as well as at lower level for example between and within regions, zone,
weredas and kebele administration units.

The Ethiopian’s population distribution by region of 2007 More than 80% of

the population lived in three reigion – Oromiya, Amhara and south nation,
Nationalities and peoples region (SNNPR). Their populations accounted for
36.7%, 23.3% and 20.4% of Ethiopia’s total population, respectively.

2.3. Factors Affecting Population Distribution in Ethiopia

A. Physical Factors: The most important physical factors that affect the
distribution of population in Ethiopia include climate, mainly rainfall and
temperature, soil and vegetation. The other physical factors include drainage
and slope. In Ethiopia most of these physical factors are influenced by altitude.
B. Human Factors :Human factors which have influenced population.

3. Socio-cultural Aspects of Ethiopian Population: Education, Health and

Languages
3.1.Education
High level of education correlates with higher incomes, better health, longer
life span, and lower mortality. Hence, human capital development is a cause
and consequence of development. Education is also a human right.
3.2.Health
The Government of Ethiopia has been investing heavily in health system
strengthening through its pro-poor policies and strategies that brought about
significant gains in improving the health status of Ethiopians.
Some of the root causes of the poor health status of the population are:
 Lack of access to clean water:
 Lack of adequate nutrition:
 Disease related to beliefs, behaviors and traditional practices

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  Lack of health services:.
3.3. Languages Families and Languages of Ethiopia
The Ethiopian languages belong to two Supper Families: Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-
Saharan. Most Ethiopian languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic Supper Family.
A . Afro-Asiatic
The Afro-Asiatic Supper Family, is divided into three families, namely:
Semitic, Cushitic and Omotic.
Cushitic
The Cushitic languages are predominantly spoken in central, southern,
eastern and northeastern parts of Ethiopia mainly in Afar, Oromia and Somali
Regional States. It has the largest number of speakers and the widest spatial
coverage.
Semetic
The Semitic languages are spoken in northern, central and eastern parts of
Ethiopia particularly in the regional states of Tigray, Amhara, Harari and
northern Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State. Some of
the Semitic Languages include Amarigna, Tigrigna, Guragigna, Siltigna,
Aderigna, and Argobigna
Omotic
The Omotic languages are predominantly spoken in the south–central and
south-western parts of Ethiopia mainly between the Lakes of southern Rift
Valley and the Omo River.
B. NiloSaharan
The Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken in the western lowlands of Ethiopia
along the border with Sudan. These Languages are spoken by small numbers
of people often less than 500,000 people.
Ethiopia is a country where about 80 languages are spoken.

The most spoken language in Ethiopia

Language Population Percent %
Oromo 83.6 millon 34.4 %
Amhara 30.3 millon 27 %
Somali 6.9 millon 6.2 %

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Tigray 6.8 million 6.1 %
Sidam 4.4 millon 4%
Gurage 2.8 millon 2.5 %
Welayta 2.5 millon 2.3 %
Afar 1.9 millon 1.7 %
Hadiya 1.9 millon 1.7 %
Gamo 1.6 millon 1.5 %

D. Settlement Types and Patterns

Types of Settlement
Settlements are places that are inhabited by people more or less on a
permanent basis, as distinct for example from camps, and where people carry
out a variety of activities such as agriculture, manufacturing and commerce.
Different settlement types develop mainly in response to some physical and
human factors.
Settlements are divided into two, namely, rural and urban on the bases of the
dominant economic activity, population densities and availability of
socioeconomic and infrastructural facilities.
A. Rural Settlement : The vast majority of the Ethiopian population still
lives in rural settlements consisting of hamlets and villages.
Temporary / Mobile Settlements ; The lowlands in most parts of the Rift
Valley and peripheral areas, being generally hot and dry, are characterized by
pastoral herding and mobile settlements. The settlements are mobile because
pastoralists have always been searching for new sites for water and pasture
for their livestock.
Permanent Settlements ; Settlements are considered as permanent if there
are no frequent changes in their locations. Most Ethiopian rural highland
settlements where crop cultivation is practiced are permanent.
Permanent settlements are of two types. One of them is scattered (also called
diffused or dispersed), while the other one is known as grouped/ clustered or
nucleated. In areas of dispersed settlements homesteads are separated by
relatively long distances which could be associated with individual land
tenure and desire of people to live near to their farm holdings.
B. Urban Settlements and Urbanization in Ethiopia

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Urbanization refers to the increase in the percentage of the population living
in urban centers. It entails the process of becoming urban, moving to cities
and changing from agriculture to other pursuits of life which are common to
towns and, with a corresponding change of behavioral patterns.
Urbanization is crucial to sustain the pace of economic development and
improve the quality of life for both urban and rural populations. Linkage
between urban and rural areas could foster efficiency of value chains in agro-
industry, improve agricultural productivity, promote service expansion and
create sufficient industrial jobs in urban centers to absorb the perpetual influx
of population from rural areas.
An overview of the History of Urbanization in Ethiopia
Before the foundation of Addis Ababa as a capital city, the earliest capitals and
other towns did not have a permanent population exceeding 6000. These
centers were not capable of acting as centers of influence for the life of the
population of the rural hinterland in their years of existence. The only
prominent urban centers were Axum, Lalibela and Gondar.
Distribution of Urban Centers in Ethiopia
The distribution of urban centers in Ethiopia shows considerable spatial
variation. This could be explained in terms of the varying concentration of
industries; and services such as schools, health institutions, water supplies,
electricity, means of transport, etc Based on varying concentrations of urban
centers and urban populations, the Ministry of Urban Development and
Construction identified the following hierarchy of urban centers:ate of growth
of urban population varies from town to town and from time to time.
Ethiopia‟s towns are characterized by wide range of growth rates that could
be classified into one of the following three broad categories:
i. Declining Towns: it includes towns whose populations are actually
declining in absolute numbers because net out migration is greater than
natural increase.
ii. Slow Growing Towns: This category is composed of towns that grow at the
rate which is less than the rate of natural increase
iii. Fast Growing Towns: All towns with growth rates of greater than the
natural rate of increase make up this group. These towns pull large numbers
of people from the declining or slowly growing towns and rural areas due to
the opportunities they offer associated with expansion in industries, social
services or a change in their administrative status as zonal or regional
capitals.

5. Population policy of Ethiopia

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Population policy id defied in a variety of ways some of them include;
 All deliberate government actions intended to influence population
growth, size, distribution and composition
 A deliberate effort by a national government to influence the three
demographic variables: fertility, mortality, migration
 Measures initiated by government to influence, in a targeted direction,
the size, rate of change, composition or geographic distribution of a
population,
Generally, population policies are used as guidelines to create positive
relationships between population and resources.

5.1 Types of population policy

There are two major types of population policy used by different countries in
the world:
A. Pro-natalist (population) policies; they are designed to encourage
population growth. Such policies are adopted with the objective of
achieving various goals such as maintaining military strength, economic
production and national pride,
B. Anti – natalist policies: they are designed to reduce birthrates such
policies are promoted for several reasons. for example, moderating
rapid population growth and preventing related social problems such as
shortages of housing, education and services
Ethiopia has a rapid population growth rate and one of the fastest growing
populations in the world. Because of this the government adopted an anti-
natalist population policy since 1993. As such the population policy the
country aims at attaining these general objectives;
 Closing the gap between high population growth and low economic
productivity.
 Speeding up economic and social development processes through
holistic.
 Reducing the rate of rural-to-urban migration.
 Maintaining and improving the carrying capacity of the environment
by taking.
 Raising the economic and social status of women by freeing them
from restrictions and hard work of traditional life.
 Facilitating research programs in reproductive health.
 Developing population programs specially designed to promoted
male involvement in family planning.

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  Diversifying methods of contraception with particular attention to
increasing th availability of male- orientated methods

Unit summary

A population is defined as group of individuals of the same species living and

interbreeding within a given area. Population are three conventional sources
of obtaining population data Census, Sample survey, Vita Registration.

The population of any area is determined by fertility, mortality and migration.

The difference between birth and death rats is known as rate of natural
increase. Over all growth rate is determined by the net effect of natural
increase and net migration rate. The three main age groups that determine
population structure are young, adult and old age.

Settlements are places that are inhabited by people more or less on a

permanent basis. Settlements are divided into two, namely, rural and urban
on the bases of the dominant economic activity.

There are two main types of population policy: pro-natalist and anti-natalist.
Ethiopia’s population policy’s main goal to achieve a balanced population
growth rate. It was launched in 1993 and is essentially anti-natalist.

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