Ethiopia's changing demographics revealed in new health and demographic survey

The survey, conducted from August 2024 with support from various international organizations, covered 797 Enumeration Areas across the country. It found that 42 percent of Ethiopians are under 14, and many lack basic services, with only 57 percent having access to clean drinking water and 40 percent to electricity. Access to hygiene, clean fuel, and technology remains even lower.

While 62.5 percent own farmland, only 10 percent have refrigerators and 3.8 percent own a vehicle. Sanitation has improved, but over a quarter of Ethiopians still practice open defecation. The national total fertility rate has dramatically fallen from nearly six children per woman a quarter-century ago to under four today, driven by increased availability and acceptance of modern family planning methods.

However, a stark urban-rural divide persists, with Addis Ababa's fertility rate below replacement level around two children per woman compared to nearly five in rural areas. Childhood survival indicators show progress, with under-five mortality plummeting from 166 to 51 deaths per 1,000 live births, largely due to decentralized immunization and disease management. Neonatal mortality, however, remains stubbornly high, accounting for nearly half of all under-five deaths, with 68 percent of newborns receiving no p