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
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