Ethiopia Population Pyramid 1981
Ethiopia in 1981
In 1981, Ethiopia had a total population of 35,304,012 people. A decade earlier, in 1971, the population was 28,600,106; it has grown by 23.4% since.
With a median age of 16.8 years, Ethiopia had a youth dependency ratio of 91.4 and an old-age dependency ratio of 5.5 per 100 people of working age. This is an expansive pyramid — each cohort of children is larger than the one above it, the signature of high birth rates and rapid growth.
Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.
The fertility rate of Ethiopia was 3.99 births per woman in 2023, above the 2.1 needed to replace each generation.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
Life expectancy at birth was 67.3 years in 2023: 70.7 for women and 64.1 for men.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
1,136,930 immigrants live in Ethiopia, 0.9% of the population.
| South Sudan | 443,743 |
| Somalia | 389,246 |
| Eritrea | 176,860 |
| Sudan | 88,958 |
| China | 26,824 |
1,240,589 people born in Ethiopia live in other countries.
| United States of America | 363,811 |
| Saudi Arabia | 180,746 |
| Sudan | 121,969 |
| South Africa | 104,402 |
| Israel | 101,417 |
Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.
| Country | Population | Median age | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 35,304,012 | 16.8 | |
| Tanzania | 19,784,704 | 16.4 | |
| Kenya | 16,601,508 | 14.5 | |
| Uganda | 13,556,452 | 15.9 | |
| Mozambique | 11,568,127 | 17.4 |





