List of ethnic groups in Ethiopia

For the national origin group of Ethiopia, see Ethiopians.

This is a list of ethnic groups in Ethiopia that are officially recognized by the government. It is a list taken from the 2007 Ethiopian National Census:[1][2] Population size and percentage of Ethiopia's total population according to the 1994 and 2007 censuses follows each entry.

Ethiopia's population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups. Most people in Ethiopia speak Afro-Asiatic languages, mainly of the Cushitic and Semitic branches. The former includes the Oromo and Somali, and the latter includes the Amhara and Tigray. Together these four groups make up three-quarters of the population.

The country also has Omotic ethnic groups who speak Afro-Asiatic languages of the Omotic branch. They inhabit the southern regions of the country, particularly the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region. Among these are the Welayta and Gamo.

Nilo-Saharan-speaking Nilotic ethnic groups also inhabit the southwestern regions of the country, particularly in the Gambela Region. Among these are the Nuer and Anuak who are also found in South Sudan which borders the Gambela Region.

Ethnic Groups in Ethiopian Censuses

[edit]
Ethnic
group 		Linguistic

grouping

Census
1994[3] 		Census
2007[4]
Number % Number %
Aari Omotic 155,002 0.29 290,453 0.39
Afar Cushitic 979,367 1.84 1,276,374 1.73
Agaw-Awi Cushitic 397,491 0.75 631,565 0.85
Silt'e Semitic 939,457 1,135,306 1.27
Agaw-Hamyra Cushitic 158,231 0.30 267,851 0.36
Alaba Cushitic 125,900 0.24 233,299 0.32
Amhara Semitic 16,007,933 30.13 19,870,651 26.89
Anuak Nilotic 45,665 0.09 85,909 0.12
Arbore Afro-Asiatic 6,559 0.01 6,840 0.01
Argobba Afro-Asiatic 62,831 0.12 140,134 0.19
Bacha Nilo-Saharan 2,632 < 0.01
Basketo Afro-Asiatic 51,097 0.10 78,284 0.11
Bench Omotic 173,123 0.33 353,526 0.48
Berta Nilo-Saharan 183,259 0.25
Bodi Nilo-Saharan 4,686 0.01 6,994 0.01
Brayle ???? 5,002 0.01
Burji Afro-Asiatic 46,565 0.09 71,871 0.10
Bena Niger-Congo 27,022 0.04
Beta Israel Semitic 2,321 <0.01
Chara Afro-Asiatic 6,984 0.01 13,210 0.02
Daasanach Afro-Asiatic 32,099 0.06 48,067 0.07
Dawro Omotic 331,483 0.62 543,148 0.74
Debase/ Gawwada Afro-Asiatic 33,971 0.06 68,600 0.09
Dirashe Afro-Asiatic 30,081 0.04
Dime Afro-Asiatic 6,197 0.01 891 <0.01
Dizi Afro-Asiatic 21,894 0.04 36,380 0.05
Donga Nilo-Saharan 35,166 0.05
Fedashe ???? 7,323 0.01 3,448 < 0.01
Gamo Omotic 719,847 1.35 1,107,163 1.50
Gebato ???? 75 <0.01 1,502 < 0.01
Gedeo Cushitic 639,905 1.20 986,977 1.34
Gedicho ???? 5,483 0.01
Gidole Afro-Asiatic 54,354 0.10 41,100 0.06
Goffa Omotic 241,530 0.45 363,009 0.49
Gumuz Nilo-Saharan 121,487 0.23 159,418 0.22
Gurage Semitic 4,290,274 4.31 1,867,377 2.53
Hadiya Cushitic 927,933 1.75 1,284,373 1.74
Hamar Afro-Asiatic 42,466 0.08 46,532 0.06
Harari Semitic 21,757 0.04 31,869 0.04
Irob Afro-Asiatic 33,372 0.05
Kafficho Omotic 599,188 1.13 870,213 1.18
Kambaata Cushitic 499,825 0.94 630,236 0.85
kebena Afro-Asiatic[5] 35,072 0.07 52,712 0.07
Konta Afro-Asiatic 83,607 0.11
Komo Nilo-Saharan 1,526 <0.01 7,795 0.01
Konso Cushitic 153,419 0.29 250,430 0.34
Koore Afro-Asiatic 107,595 0.20 156,983 0.21
Kontoma Afro-Asiatic 0.4 48,543 0.05
Kunama Nilo-Saharan 2,007 <0.01 4,860 0.01
Karo Afro-Asiatic 1,464 < 0.01
Kusumie ???? 7,470 0.01
Kwegu Nilo-Saharan 4,407 0.01
Male Afro-Asiatic 46,458 0.09 98,114 0.13
Mao Afro-Asiatic 16,236 0.03 43,535 0.06
Mareqo Afro-Asiatic[6] 38,096 0.07 64,381 0.09
Mashola Afro-Asiatic 10,458 0.01
Mere people ???? 14,298 0.02
Me'en Nilo-Saharan 52,815 0.10 151,489 0.20
Messengo ???? 15,341 0.03 10,964 0.01
Majangir Nilo-Saharan 21,959 0.03
Mossiye Afro-Asiatic 9,207 0.02 19,698 0.03
Murle Nilo-Saharan 1,469 < 0.01
Mursi Nilo-Saharan 3,258 0.01 7,500 0.01
Nao Afro-Asiatic 4,005 0.01 9,829 0.01
Nuer Nilotic 64,534 0.12 147,672 0.20
Nyangatom Nilotic 14,201 0.03 25,252 0.03
Oromo Cushitic 17,080,318 31.15 24,489,024 33.49
Oyda Afro-Asiatic 14,075 0.03 45,149 0.06
Qechem ???? 2,740 0.01 2,585 < 0.01
Qewama ???? 141 <0.01 298 < 0.01
She Afro-Asiatic 13,290 0.03 320 < 0.01
Shekecho Afro-Asiatic 53,897 0.10 77,678 0.11
Sheko Afro-Asiatic 23,785 0.04 37,573 0.05
Shinasha Afro-Asiatic 32,698 0.06 52,637 0.07
Shita/Upo Nilo-Saharan 307 <0.01 1,602 < 0.01
Sidama Cushitic 1,842,314 3.47 2,966,474 4.01
Somali Cushitic 4,185,266 6.5 6,581,794 8.21
Surma Nilo-Saharan 19,632 0.04 27,886 0.04
Tigrayans Semitic 3,284,568 6.18 4,483,892 6.07
Tembaro Afro-Asiatic 86,510 0.16 480,573 0.13
Tsamai Afro-Asiatic 9,702 0.02 20,046 0.03
Welayta Omotic 1,269,216 2.39 1,707,079 2.31
Werji Afro-Asiatic 20,536 0.04 13,232 0.02
Yem Afro-Asiatic 165,184 0.31 160,447 0.22
Zeyese Afro-Asiatic 10,842 0.02 17,884 0.02
Zelmam Nilo-Saharan 2,704 < 0.01
Other/unknown 155,972 0.29 178,799 0.24
Somali 20,227 0.03
Sudanese 2,035 <0.01 10,333 0.01
Eritrean 61,857 0.12 9,736 0.01
Kenyan 134 <0.01 77 <0.01
Djiboutian 367 <0.01 733 <0.01
Other foreigners 15,550 0.02
Total 53,132,276 73,750,932

Estimates

[edit]

The World Factbook estimates the ethnic groups of Ethiopia in 2022 as follows[7]

2022 est.
Ethnic Group %
Oromo 35.8
Amhara 24.1
Somali 7.2
Tigray 5.7
Sidama 4.1
Guragie 2.6
Welaita 2.3
Afar 2.2
Silte 1.3
Kefficho 1.2
other 13.5

See also

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demographics of Ethiopia.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 2007 Ethiopian census, first draft Archived 2012-10-18 at the Wayback Machine, Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency (accessed 6 May 2009)
  2. ^ "Population and Housing Census 2007 – National Statistical" (PDF). Ethiopian Statistics Agency. 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  3. ^ United nations Demographic Yearbook Special Census Topics. Volume 2b Table 4 [1]
  4. ^ "Ethiopian Census First Draft" (PDF). Central Statistics Agency. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ^ Ulrich Braukamper 2012: 165
  6. ^ Ulrich Braukamper 2012: 189
  7. ^ "Ethiopia", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2024-08-27, retrieved 2024-09-07
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_ethnic_groups_in_Ethiopia&oldid=1245660911"