The People

With a population of about 78.2 million (2007/2008), Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic and language composition of its Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic and Nilotic peoples. The Ethiopian peoples comprise about seventy-eight nationalities of which the Amhara and the Oromo constitute the majority, with about 60 percent of the total population.

Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in the rural areas. The annual population growth rate is about 2.7 percent, and the economically active segment, between ages 14 and 60, is about 50 percent of the total population.