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People
Ethnicity
With a population of approximately 81 million, Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient Middle Eastern and African cultures, which is evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic and Nilotic peoples. The Ethiopian population comprises over 70 distinct ethnic groups of which the Amhara and the Oromo are the most dominant, together constituting more than 70 percent of the total population.
Language
Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia, while English, French, Italian and Arabic are also widely spoken, especially in business and academic circles. Linguistic diversity is not limited to European languages, with more than 80 distinct ethnic languages spoken within Ethiopia and amongst the Ethiopian Diaspora. Virtually all of these local languages can be broken down into four main groups: Semitic, Hametic, Omotic, and Nilo-Saharan.
Semitic languages, which have antecedents in both Hebrew and Arabic, are mostly spoken in the North and Center of the country. The principal Semitic language is Amharic. The Hametic languages are found mainly in the East, West, and South. Of this group, Oromo is the predominant language. The Omotic group of languages is heard mostly in the Southwest and is so named because of this linguistic group's proximity to the Omo River. Finally, the constituents of the Nilo-Saharan language grouping are found in a wide area toward the Sudan frontier.
Religion
Ethiopians historically have tended to be monotheistic, adhering to either Christianity or Islam. Typically, most Christians live in the highlands, while Muslims and adherents of traditional African religions inhabit the lowland regions. Traditional religions are practiced by a small section of the population, particularly in the South. The Ethiopian Orthodox church traces its roots to the 4th century of the common era and its history often overlaps that of the Ethiopian empire. However, while the Ethiopian Church was the establishment religion, Islam and Islamic institutions such as schools and churches were tolerated by the imperial system. After the revolution in 1975, all religions were made equal, and the Orthodox Church was de-established. However, while religious freedom was the policy, tensions between the two major faith traditions were never completely resolved, and lingering disputes exist to the present day.
Literacy rates
The average literacy rate, according to recent estimates, is 42.7 percent, however, there is a significant gap across genders. Among males, literacy is 50.3 percent and among females it is significantly lower at 35.1 percent. About 5.5 percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures.
Health and Welfare
The risk of infectious diseases in this country is high. Food or waterborne diseases include bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever; vectorborne diseases include malaria; respiratory diseases include meningococcal meningitis; animal contact diseases include rabies; water contact diseases include schistosomiasis. About percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures.
As is commonly found when a predominantly rural population that pursues traditional cultivation and pastoralist occupations is exposed to modern medicine, Ethiopia has a relatively high population growth rate. The annual population growth rate is about 2.36 percent, with average female fertility at 5.33 per 1,000 of population, according to recent estimates.
Average life expectancy at birth is 56.19 years of age (53.64 years for males and 58.81 years for females) and the infant mortality rate is 95.32 deaths per 1,000 live births. However, these figures do not accurately portray the looming population crisis to be found in that part of the Ethiopian people less than 15 years of age, which comprises approximately 44 percent of the total population. The challenge for the future will be finding ways to productively utilize this soon to be working age population and to find the resources to feed, clothe, and shelter this demographic wave.
Note: Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; which can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.
Human Development
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries and territories, the HDI places Ethiopia in the low human development category, near the bottom of the list at 157th place.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief, www.countrywatch.com; see Bibliograpy for list of research sources.
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