Population growth in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Population growth was 2.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population growth in Ethiopia, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Ethiopia stood at 2.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Ethiopia peaked at 4.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1980.
Ethiopia ranks 24th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 0.6% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More climate change data for Ethiopia
- Population, total 135.47 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.6% (2025)
- Urban population 32.66 million (2025)
- Urban population 24.1% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 4.4% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 10.55 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 8.6% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.0% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 17.0% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.1 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Ethiopia?
- Population growth in Ethiopia was 2.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1980.
- How does Ethiopia rank for population growth?
- Ethiopia ranks 24th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.