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List of ethnic groups in Ethiopia

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Note

For the national origin group of Ethiopia, see Ethiopians.

This is a list of ethnic groups in Ethiopia that are officially recognized by the government. It is a list taken from the 2007 Ethiopian National Census: Population size and percentage of Ethiopia's total population according to the 1994 and 2007 censuses follows each entry.

Ethiopia's population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups. Most people in Ethiopia speak Afro-Asiatic languages, mainly of the Cushitic and Semitic branches. The former includes the Oromo and Somali, and the latter includes the Amhara and Tigray. Together these four groups make up three-quarters of the population.

The country also has Omotic ethnic groups who speak Afro-Asiatic languages of the Omotic branch. They inhabit the southern regions of the country, particularly the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region. Among these are the Welayta and Gamo.

Groups from the hypothetical Nilo-Saharan group, especially Nilotic ethnic groups also inhabit the southwestern regions of the country, particularly in the Gambela Region. Among these are the Nuer and Anuak who are also found in South Sudan which borders the Gambela Region. However, according to Glottolog, many of those comprise small language families or isolates, such as Surmic languages Kwegu, Me'en, and Suri, and the isolate Bertan.

Ethnic Groups in Ethiopian censuses

Ethnic
group	Linguistic	Census
1994	Census
2007	Number	%	Number	%	Total	53,132,276	73,750,932
Aari	Omotic	155,002	0.29	290,453	0.39
Afar	Cushitic	979,367	1.84	1,276,374	1.73
Agaw-Awi	397,491	0.75	631,565	0.85
Silt'e	Semitic	939,457		1,135,306	1.27
Agaw-Hamyra	Cushitic	158,231	0.30	267,851	0.36
Alaba	125,900	0.24	233,299	0.32
Amhara	Semitic	16,007,933	30.13	19,870,651	26.89
Anuak	Nilotic	45,665	0.09	85,909	0.12
Arbore	Cushitic	6,559	0.01	6,840	0.01
Argobba	Semitic	62,831	0.12	140,134	0.19
Bacha (Kwego)	Eastern Sudanic			2,632
Basketo	Afro-Asiatic	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	Eastern Sudanic	4,686	0.01	6,994	0.01
Brayle				5,002	0.01
Burji	Cushitic	46,565	0.09	71,871	0.10
Bena	Niger-Congo			27,022	0.04
Beta Israel	Semitic	2,321
Chara	Afro-Asiatic	6,984	0.01	13,210	0.02
Daasanach	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			30,081	0.04
Dime	6,197	0.01	891
Dizi	21,894	0.04	36,380	0.05
Donga	Nilo-Saharan			35,166	0.05
Fedashe		7,323	0.01	3,448
Gabra	Cushitic	616,664	1.30	1,105,160	1.45
Gamo	Omotic	719,847	1.35	1,107,163	1.50
Gebato		75		1,502
Gedeo	Cushitic	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	Semitic	4,290,274	4.31	1,867,377	2.53
Hadiya	Cushitic	927,933	1.75	1,284,373	1.74
Hamar	Afro-Asiatic	42,466	0.08	46,532	0.06
Harari	Semitic	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	Cushitic	499,825	0.94	630,236	0.85
Kebena	Afro-Asiatic	35,072	0.07	52,712	0.07
Konta	Afro-Asiatic			83,607	0.11
Komo	Nilo-Saharan	1,526		7,795	0.01
Konso	Cushitic	153,419	0.29	250,430	0.34
Koore	Afro-Asiatic	107,595	0.20	156,983	0.21
Kontoma		0.4	48,543	0.05
Kunama	Nilo-Saharan	2,007		4,860	0.01
Karo	Afro-Asiatic			1,464
Kusumie		Cushitic			7,470	0.01
Kwegu	Nilo-Saharan			4,407	0.01
Male	Afro-Asiatic	46,458	0.09	98,114	0.13
Mao	16,236	0.03	43,535	0.06
Mareqo	Afro-Asiatic	38,096	0.07	64,381	0.09
Mashola	Afro-Asiatic			10,458	0.01
Mere people				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	Afro-Asiatic	9,207	0.02	19,698	0.03
Murle	Nilo-Saharan			1,469
Mursi	3,258	0.01	7,500	0.01
Nao	Afro-Asiatic	4,005	0.01	9,829	0.01
Nuer	Nilotic	64,534	0.12	147,672	0.20
Nyangatom	14,201	0.03	25,252	0.03
Oromo	Cushitic	17,080,318	31.15	24,489,024	33.49
Oyda	Afro-Asiatic	14,075	0.03	45,149	0.06
Qechem		2,740	0.01	2,585
Qewama	141		298
She	Afro-Asiatic	13,290	0.03	320
Shekecho	53,897	0.10	77,678	0.11
Sheko	23,785	0.04	37,573	0.05
Shinasha	32,698	0.06	52,637	0.07
Shita/Upo	Nilo-Saharan	307		1,602
Sidama	Cushitic	1,842,314	3.47	2,966,474	4.01
Somali	6,185,266	6.5	6,581,794	9.21
Surma	Nilo-Saharan	19,632	0.04	27,886	0.04
Tigrayans	Semitic	3,284,568	6.18	4,483,892	6.07
Tembaro	Afro-Asiatic	86,510	0.16	480,573	0.13
Tsamai	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	165,184	0.31	160,447	0.22
Zeyese	10,842	0.02	17,884	0.02
Zelmam	Nilo-Saharan			2,704
			178,799
		{{sort	3		10,333
			9,736
		{{sort	1		77	{{sort	2
		{{sort	2		733	{{sort	1
			15,550

Estimates

The World Factbook estimates the ethnic groups of Ethiopia in 2022 as follows

Ethnic Group	%
Oromo	35.8
Amhara	24.1
Somali	7.2
Tigray	5.7
Sidama	4.1
Guragie	2.6
Welaita	2.3
Afar	2.2
Silte	1.3
Kefficho	1.2
other	13.5

References

[http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf 2007 Ethiopian census, first draft] {{webarchive. link. (2012-10-18 , Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency (accessed 6 May 2009))
(2007). "Population and Housing Census 2007 – National Statistical".
United nations Demographic Yearbook Special Census Topics. Volume 2b Table 4 [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybcens.htm]
(2007). "Ethiopian Census First Draft".
Ulrich Braukamper 2012: 165
Ulrich Braukamper 2012: 189
(2024-08-27). "Ethiopia". Central Intelligence Agency.

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