Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 42.37 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ethiopia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 42.37 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ethiopia peaked at 42.37 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.77 million people, in 1950.
Ethiopia ranks 5th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.77 million people | — |
| 1955 | 11.58 million people | +7.5% |
| 1960 | 12.45 million people | +7.5% |
| 1965 | 13.63 million people | +9.4% |
| 1970 | 14.93 million people | +9.5% |
| 1975 | 16.25 million people | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 18.60 million people | +14.5% |
| 1985 | 21.42 million people | +15.1% |
| 1990 | 24.81 million people | +15.8% |
| 1995 | 28.44 million people | +14.6% |
| 2000 | 31.53 million people | +10.9% |
| 2005 | 37.27 million people | +18.2% |
| 2010 | 39.55 million people | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 41.25 million people | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 42.37 million people | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.17 million people | 10.77 million people | 11.58 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 13.04 million people | 12.45 million people | 13.63 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.59 million people | 14.93 million people | 16.25 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 20.01 million people | 18.60 million people | 21.42 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.62 million people | 24.81 million people | 28.44 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 34.40 million people | 31.53 million people | 37.27 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 40.40 million people | 39.55 million people | 41.25 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 42.37 million people | 42.37 million people | 42.37 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
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)
- Population growth rate 0.484 (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)
- Total population (thousands), annual growth rate 2.62 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ethiopia?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Ethiopia was 42.37 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.37 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.77 million people in 1950.
- How does Ethiopia rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Ethiopia ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.