Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 5.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia is 5.0%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia peaked at 5.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Ethiopia 124th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 3.3% | — |
| 1985 | 3.9% | +18.7% |
| 1990 | 4.1% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | +12.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 5.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 12.2%, 41% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 5.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.2%, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 121 Burundi 9.0% compare
- 122 Netherlands 6.5% compare
- 123 Niger 5.6% compare
- 125 Poland 4.9% compare
- 126 Albania 0.0%
- 126 Bahamas 0.0%
- 126 Barbados 0.0%
- 126 Bhutan 0.0%
- 126 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.0%
- 126 Botswana 0.0%
- 126 Cape Verde 0.0%
- 126 Comoros 0.0%
- 126 Croatia 0.0%
- 126 Cyprus 0.0%
- 126 Djibouti 0.0%
- 126 East Timor 0.0%
- 126 Equatorial Guinea 0.0%
- 126 Eritrea 0.0%
- 126 Estonia 0.0%
- 126 Eswatini 0.0%
- 126 Fiji 0.0%
- 126 Finland 0.0%
- 126 French Polynesia 0.0%
- 126 Gabon 0.0%
- 126 Georgia 0.0% compare
- 126 Guadeloupe 0.0%
- 126 Guinea-Bissau 0.0%
- 126 Guyana 0.0%
- 126 Iceland 0.0%
- 126 Jamaica 0.0%
- 126 Laos 0.0%
- 126 Latvia 0.0%
- 126 Lesotho 0.0%
- 126 Lithuania 0.0%
- 126 Luxembourg 0.0%
- 126 Malawi 0.0%
- 126 Maldives 0.0%
- 126 Malta 0.0%
- 126 Martinique 0.0%
- 126 Mauritius 0.0%
- 126 Moldova 0.0%
- 126 Montenegro 0.0%
- 126 Namibia 0.0%
- 126 New Caledonia 0.0%
- 126 North Macedonia 0.0%
- 126 Norway 0.0%
- 126 Oman 0.0%
- 126 Palestine 0.0%
- 126 Papua New Guinea 0.0%
- 126 Puerto Rico 0.0%
- 126 Reunion 0.0%
- 126 Sao Tome and Principe 0.0%
- 126 Slovakia 0.0%
- 126 Slovenia 0.0%
- 126 Solomon Islands 0.0%
- 126 South Sudan 0.0%
- 126 Suriname 0.0%
- 126 Switzerland 0.0%
- 126 Trinidad and Tobago 0.0%
More reference data data for Ethiopia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6564 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 100.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.47 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ethiopia was 5.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Ethiopia ranks 124th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.