In 2000 the population of Ethiopia was around 65 million people. By 2050 this number will be more than tripled and by 2100 4.5 times bigger with almost 300 million people.

In the 150 years from 1950 to 2100, the population is projected to grow from 20 million to 294 million - a 15 fold increase.

Life and death in Ethiopia

With 64.8 years, the average life expectancy of Ethiopians is still quite low. The population growth is fueled by a very high fertility of 4.4 children per woman.

A very young population

The combination of a high birth rate and relatively low life expectancy means that Ethiopia is a young country. 41.5 percent of the population is below 15 years and only 3.3 percent is above 65. To compare, in Japan 27 percent of the population is over 65 and by 2060 this number is expected to be over 40 percent.

The cradle of Homo Sapiens

Ethiopia is considered the most likely birthplace of the modern human. The oldest human skull ever found is from Ethiopia - 195.000 years old. 

Low degree of urbanization

Only 19.5 percent of the population in Ethiopia live in cities making it the 184 most urbanised country in the world. To compare Nigeria has an urban population of 47.8 percent and Egypt 43.1. Ethiopia has only one city with more than a million inhabitants, that is Addis Ababa with 3.4 million people. The next cities on the list all have a population of less than 400,000 people.

Ethiopian Economy 

Ethiopia is the 14th most populous country in the world but only has the 68th largest economy. The purchasing power of the population is ranked 166th in the world.

Over 88 percent of the population live in multidimensional poverty meaning they are affected by low living standards, poor health and a low level of education.

Agriculture the main occupation of Ethiopia

As of 2015, agriculture makes up 40.5 percent of GDP, 81 percent of exports, and 85 percent of the labour force.

The birthplace of coffee

Ethiopia is the place of origin of the arabica coffee bean. The story goes that in the 9th-century, a  goat herder discovered the coffee plant because his goats got an energy boost from eating the plant.

World’s largest coffee production

Coffee is the most important export product and Ethiopia produces more coffee than any other country in Africa. Besides coffee, petroleum and other seeds, vegetables and food products are the main export goods of Ethiopia.

Ecological footprint of Ethiopia

Ethiopia has an ecological footprint of 1.1 global hectares per person. Worldwide, 1.73 global hectares are available for each individual human being so the footprint is within Earth’s biological capacity.