Ethnic Groups
The country's population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups. Most people in Ethiopia speak Afro-Asiatic languages, mainly of the Semitic or Cushitic branches. The latter include the Oromo, Amhara, Tigray and Somali, which together make up three-quarters of the population.
Nilo-Saharan-speaking Nilotic ethnic minorities also inhabit the southern regions of the country, particularly in areas bordering South Sudan. Among these are the Mursi and Anuak.
The following is a list of most of the ethnic groups of Ethiopia, taken from the 2007 Ethiopian National Census: (Population size and percentage of Ethiopia's total population follows each entry.)
Ethnic group |
Language family |
census 11-10-1994 |
census 2007 |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | % | Number | % | ||
Aari | Omotic | 155,002 | 0.29 | 290,453 | 0.29 |
Afar | Afro-Asiatic | 979,367 | 1.84 | 1,276,374 | 1.73 |
Agaw-Awi | Afro-Asiatic | 397,491 | 0.75 | 631,565 | 0.85 |
Agaw-Hamyra | Afro-Asiatic | 158,231 | 0.30 | 267,851 | 0.36 |
Alaba | Afro-Asiatic | 125,900 | 0.24 | 233,299 | 0.32 |
Amhara | Afro-Asiatic | 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 | Omotic | 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 | ???? | 27,022 | 0.04 | ||
Chara | Omotic | 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 | Omotic | 6,197 | 0.01 | 891 | <0.01 |
Dizi | Omotic | 21,894 | 0.04 | 36,380 | 0.05 |
Donga | Afro-Asiatic | 35,166 | 0.05 | ||
Fedashe | ???? | 7,323, | 0.01 | 3,448 | < 0.01 |
Felasha | Afro-Asiatic | 2,321 | <0.01 | ||
Gamo | Omotic | 719,847 | 1.35 | 1,107,163 | 1.50 |
Gebato | ???? | 75 | <0.01 | 1,502 | < 0.01 |
Gedeo | Afro-Asiatic | 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 | Afro-Asiatic | 2,290,274 | 4.31 | 1,867,377 | 2.53 |
Silt'e | Semitic | 940,766 | 1.27 | ||
Hadiya | Afro-Asiatic | 927,933 | 1.75 | 1,284,373 | 1.74 |
Hamer | Omotic | 42,466 | 0.08 | 46,532 | 0.06 |
Harari | Afro-Asiatic | 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 | Afro-Asiatic | 499,825 | 0.94 | 630,236 | 0.85 |
Konta | Omotic | 83,607 | 0.11 | ||
Komo | Nilo-Saharan | 1,526 | <0.01 | 7,795 | 0.01 |
Konso | Afro-Asiatic | 153,419 | 0.29 | 250,430 | 0.34 |
Koore | Omotic | 107,595 | 0.20 | 156,983 | 0.21 |
Koyego | ???? | 1,974 | < 0.01 | ||
Kunama | Nilo-Saharan | 2,007 | <0.01 | 4,860 | 0.01 |
Karo | Omotic | 1,464 | < 0.01 | ||
Kusumie | ???? | 7,470 | 0.01 | ||
Kwegu | Nilo-Saharan | 4,407 | 0.01 | ||
Male | Omotic | 46,458 | 0.09 | 98,114 | 0.13 |
Mao | Omotic | 16,236 | 0.03 | 43,535 | 0.06 |
Mareqo | ???? | 38,096 | 0.07 | 64,381 | 0.09 |
Mashola | Afro-Asiatic | 10,458 | 0.01 | ||
Mere | ???? | 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 | ???? | 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 | Omotic | 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 | Afro-Asiatic | 17,080,318 | 32.15 | 25,489,024 | 34.49 |
Oyda | Omotic | 14,075 | 0.03 | 45,149 | 0.06 |
Qebena | ???? | 35,072 | 0.07 | 52,712 | 0.07 |
Qechem | ???? | 2,740 | 0.01 | 2,585 | < 0.01 |
Qewama | ???? | 141 | <0.01 | 298 | < 0.01 |
She | Omotic | 13,290 | 0.03 | 320 | < 0.01 |
Shekecho | Omotic | 53,897 | 0.10 | 77,678 | 0.11 |
Sheko | Omotic | 23,785 | 0.04 | 37,573 | 0.05 |
Shinasha | Omotic | 32,698 | 0.06 | 52,637 | 0.07 |
Shita/Upo | Nilo-Saharan | 307 | <0.01 | 1,602 | < 0.01 |
Sidama | Afro-Asiatic | 1,842,314 | 3.47 | 2,966,474 | 4.01 |
Somali | Afro-Asiatic | 3,185,266 | 6.18 | 4,581,794 | 6.20 |
Surma | Nilo-Saharan | 19,632 | 0.04 | 27,886 | 0.04 |
Tigray | Afro-Asiatic | 3.284,568 | 6.18 | 4,483,892 | 6.07 |
Tembaro | ???? | 86,510 | 0.16 | 98,621 | 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 | Omotic | 165,184 | 0.31 | 160,447 | 0.22 |
Zeyese | Omotic | 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 | |
Eritrean | 61,857 | 0.12 | 9,736 | 0.01 | |
Djiboutian | 367 | <0.01 | 733 | <0.01 | |
Somalian | 20,227 | 0.03 | |||
Sudanese | 2,035 | <0.01 | 10,333 | 0.01 | |
Kenyan | 134 | <0.01 | 737 | <0.01 | |
other foreigners | 15,550 | 0.02 | |||
Total | 53,132,276 | 73,750,932 |
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of Ethiopia
Famous quotes containing the words ethnic and/or groups:
“Caprice, independence and rebellion, which are opposed to the social order, are essential to the good health of an ethnic group. We shall measure the good health of this group by the number of its delinquents. Nothing is more immobilizing than the spirit of deference.”
—Jean Dubuffet (19011985)
“If we can learn ... to look at the ways in which various groups appropriate and use the mass-produced art of our culture ... we may well begin to understand that although the ideological power of contemporary cultural forms is enormous, indeed sometimes even frightening, that power is not yet all-pervasive, totally vigilant, or complete.”
—Janice A. Radway (b. 1949)