What is the population of Ethiopia?
Population | 108,113,150 |
Population - note | note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
Population Growth Rate | 2.9% |
Urban Population | 17% |
Population in Major Urban Areas | ADDIS ABABA (capital) 2.979 million |
Nationality Noun | Ethiopian(s) |
Nationality Adjective | Ethiopian |
Ethnic Groups | Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% |
Languages Spoken | Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English |
Language Note |
Amharic, a Semitic language related to Hebrew and Arabic is the official national language and is used in commerce and administration. Tigrinya is the most widely spoken daily language and Orominga is also used. The liturgical language (Geéz) of the Ethiopian Orthodox church has produced a large and vibrant literature of considerable importance. English is taught in most schools, making it the most widely understood foreign language. The Amharic alphabet has thirty-three(33) root letters or constants with seven(7) phonetics (vowels) or 231 symbols or letters. Additionally there are 40 characters that are use as combinations or shortenings of the 231 characters. |
What is school like in Ethiopia?
But after a slow start and some blunders the new government has made progress on almost all fronts of the education system. There has been a constant growth in the number of schools, teachers and the school materials and supplies. The average age of the primary schools in the rural areas is around 5 to 7 years. The schools are blocks of houses built with the basic necessities needed to function. It may or not have a boundary marked by a barbed wire fence. The roof is corrugated iron and the walls are made of cement blocks. Behind the main blocks there are rows of taps for drinking water and at least two toilets. If lucky, and connected to the power grid, the school may have a library with donated books and a computer or two in the lab. It is encouraging to see that the number of plasma televisions, making their way into almost all the schools for the past 5 years, has introduced the remotest students to the modern lessons beamed via satellites. It has made them go from the outdated information in the old books to the 21st century with one great leap.
Primary school starts at 8:00 a.m. every day, when the bell is rung and the children line up in front of the flag pole for the singing of the national anthem and the raising of the Ethiopian flag. In schools where uniforms are mandatory, a general check is made to see if anyone stands out or has improper attire.
With the new curriculum introduced in the late 1990’s children go to school from 8:00 a.m. till 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. in the cities. In rural areas, because of the acute shortage of teachers, and because the children mostly live far away from their schools and also because rural schools cannot provide lunches for the children, they have to go home after one shift has ended. In the classroom of a rural primary school each class is 40 minutes long and consists of 3 classes each, with a 30 minute break. Morning classes end at 12:30 PM. The afternoon shift starts at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m.
There are, on average, 50 to 60 students to a class. These students sit three or four to a bench. As the teacher walks into the classroom all students stand up and shout their greetings- ‘Good morning, teacher’ to which the teacher answers ‘Good morning, students. Please, sit down.’ and the students take their places. Attendance is recorded at the start of each class and then it’s on to the lessons. The subjects taught in Ethiopian schools are English, Amharic (or whatever the native tongue of the children is), mathematics, social studies, art, music and physical education.
In Ethiopia corporal punishment in schools, though illegal, is still acceptable, and children may be punished with the swat of a switch or by being made to kneel in a corner for the duration of the class. However, teachers are revered in the rural areas, and headmasters are the absolute authoritarians, and there isn’t much need for punishment. The thirst for knowledge makes it a taboo to go against such persons or their institutions. It is in the cities with that respect for teachers is slowly being eroded due to the effects of ‘modernization’ and corruption of traditional cultures.
Most primary school students do not go on to get a secondary or higher education. The first reason is the fact that secondary schools are much rarer than primary schools or inaccessibly far away and the second is that families do not encourage their daughters to go on to higher education because they think it is a waste since she is nearing , or in some areas already are of, marriageable age.
What are the health conditions in Ethiopia?
Animal Contact Disease (s) | rabies |
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49 | 28.6% |
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population | 8.87 |
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved | 42.1% |
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved | 48.5% |
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved | 96.8% |
Food or Waterborne Disease (s) | bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever |
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP | 4.7% |
HIV/Aids Deaths | 47,200 |
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population | 6.3 |
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births | 49.73 |
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births | 66.58 |
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births | 58.28 |
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk | very high |
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births | 350 |
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth | 19.6 |
Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 1.1% |
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population | .03 |
Respiratory disease (s) | meningococcal meningitis |
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved | 76.4% |
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved | 27.4% |
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved | 22.8% |
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman | 5.31 |
Underweight - percent of children under five years | 29.2% |
Vectorborne Disease (s) | malaria and dengue fever |
Water contact disease (s) | schistosomiasis |
How long do people live in Ethiopia?
Life Expectancy at Birth | 60 Years |
Life Expectancy at Birth - female | 62 Years |
Life Expectancy at Birth - male | 57 Years |
Median Age | 17 Years |
Median Age - female | 17 Years |
Median Age - male | 17 Years |
Birth Rate - births/1,000 population | 38 |
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population | 8.87 |
Median Age | 17 Years |
Median Age - female | 17 Years |
Median Age - male | 17 Years |
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population | -0.23 |
Population Growth Rate | 2.9% |
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female | 1 |
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female | .99 |
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female | .99 |
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female | .99 |
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female | 1.03 |
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female | .99 |
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female | .83 |
What are the health conditions in Ethiopia?
What is school like in Ethiopia?
Education Expenditures - percent of GDP | 4.7% |
Literacy - female | 35.1% |
Literacy - male | 50.3% |
Literacy - total population | 42.7% |
Literacy Definition | age 15 and over can read and write |
School Life Expectancy - female | 6 Years |
School Life Expectancy - male | 8 Years |
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary) | 7 Years |
Can people in Ethiopia read?
Literacy - female | 35.1% |
Literacy - male | 50.3% |
Literacy - total population | 42.7% |
Literacy Definition | age 15 and over can read and write |
Predominant Language | Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English |
Is Ethiopia a safe place to visit?