Annual change in population in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Annual change in population was 3.31 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.31 million people
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
5th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.31 million people
in 2023
All-time low
189,860 people
in 1980
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Ethiopia, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual change in population in Ethiopia is 3.31 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 73 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Ethiopia peaked at 3.31 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 189,860 people, in 1980.
That places Ethiopia 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 318,642 people | — |
| 1952 | 337,116 people | +5.8% |
| 1953 | 348,596 people | +3.4% |
| 1954 | 363,264 people | +4.2% |
| 1955 | 381,732 people | +5.1% |
| 1956 | 399,118 people | +4.6% |
| 1957 | 354,861 people | -11.1% |
| 1958 | 306,534 people | -13.6% |
| 1959 | 397,817 people | +29.8% |
| 1960 | 498,590 people | +25.3% |
| 1961 | 529,414 people | +6.2% |
| 1962 | 559,023 people | +5.6% |
| 1963 | 586,514 people | +4.9% |
| 1964 | 614,908 people | +4.8% |
| 1965 | 644,068 people | +4.7% |
| 1966 | 642,076 people | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 667,592 people | +4.0% |
| 1968 | 717,650 people | +7.5% |
| 1969 | 734,642 people | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 756,560 people | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 770,979 people | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 774,497 people | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 792,178 people | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 790,488 people | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 765,978 people | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 811,173 people | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 632,848 people | -22.0% |
| 1978 | 567,325 people | -10.4% |
| 1979 | 504,054 people | -11.2% |
| 1980 | 189,860 people | -62.3% |
| 1981 | 875,495 people | +361.1% |
| 1982 | 1.40 million people | +59.6% |
| 1983 | 1.04 million people | -25.6% |
| 1984 | 994,907 people | -4.3% |
| 1985 | 1.11 million people | +11.2% |
| 1986 | 1.20 million people | +8.1% |
| 1987 | 1.42 million people | +19.0% |
| 1988 | 1.69 million people | +18.9% |
| 1989 | 1.73 million people | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 1.73 million people | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 2.11 million people | +21.8% |
| 1992 | 2.14 million people | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 1.86 million people | -13.2% |
| 1994 | 1.90 million people | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 1.93 million people | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.93 million people | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 1.94 million people | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.96 million people | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 2.01 million people | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 2.04 million people | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.08 million people | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 2.15 million people | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 2.20 million people | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 2.24 million people | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 2.29 million people | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.34 million people | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 2.40 million people | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 2.44 million people | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 2.46 million people | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 2.53 million people | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 2.61 million people | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 2.65 million people | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 2.64 million people | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 2.68 million people | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 2.75 million people | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 2.85 million people | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 2.95 million people | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 3.00 million people | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 3.07 million people | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 3.18 million people | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 3.22 million people | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 3.25 million people | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 3.31 million people | +1.9% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 3.31 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 556,727 people, 5.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 3.31 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940 people, 9.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +361.1% | 189,860 people | 875,495 people |
| 1980 | -62.3% | 504,054 people | 189,860 people |
| 1982 | +59.6% | 875,495 people | 1.40 million people |
| 1983 | -25.6% | 1.40 million people | 1.04 million people |
| 1959 | +29.8% | 306,534 people | 397,817 people |
| 1960 | +25.3% | 397,817 people | 498,590 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 356,409 people | 306,534 people | 399,118 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 619,448 people | 498,590 people | 734,642 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 716,608 people | 504,054 people | 811,173 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.16 million people | 189,860 people | 1.73 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.95 million people | 1.73 million people | 2.14 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.26 million people | 2.04 million people | 2.46 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.77 million people | 2.53 million people | 3.07 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.24 million people | 3.18 million people | 3.31 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 2 Nigeria 4.73 million people compare
- 3 Pakistan 3.80 million people compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of Congo 3.39 million people compare
- 6 Indonesia 2.36 million people compare
- 7 Bangladesh 2.08 million people compare
- 8 United States 1.94 million people compare
More population data for Ethiopia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2918 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.229 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 325.45 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 23.22 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.5% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Ethiopia?
- Annual change in population in Ethiopia was 3.31 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.31 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 189,860 people in 1980.
- How does Ethiopia rank for annual change in population?
- Ethiopia ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.