Ethiopia: cities by population
Ethiopia has a population of 138,902,185 (UN estimate, 2026), with Addis Ababa as its capital. The 50 largest of its 248 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+106%
since 2000 (67,411,494)
+62%
projected by 2050 (225,021,875)
139
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Ethiopia
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addis Ababa | Addis Ababa | 3,860,000 |
| 2 | Jijiga | Somali | 483,000 |
| 3 | Gonder | Amhara | 466,000 |
| 4 | Mek'ele | Tigray | 457,900 |
| 5 | Nazrēt | Oromiya | 456,900 |
| 6 | Warder | Somali | 450,400 |
| 7 | Awasa | Sidama Region | 422,200 |
| 8 | Bahir Dar | Amhara | 350,000 |
| 9 | Dire Dawa | Dire Dawa | 343,000 |
| 10 | Dessie | Amhara | 270,400 |
| 11 | Jimma | Oromiya | 250,900 |
| 12 | Shashamane | Oromiya | 208,400 |
| 13 | Bishoftu | Oromiya | 207,400 |
| 14 | Sodo | South Ethiopia Regional State | 204,100 |
| 15 | Arba Minch | South Ethiopia Regional State | 201,000 |
| 16 | Hosa’ina | Central Ethiopia Regional State | 188,200 |
| 17 | Dīla | South Ethiopia Regional State | 158,800 |
| 18 | Harar | Harari | 157,000 |
| 19 | Nek’emtē | Oromiya | 156,000 |
| 20 | Ārabī | Somali | 148,933 |
| 21 | Debre Birhan | Amhara | 146,900 |
| 22 | Debre Mark’os | Amhara | 140,700 |
| 23 | Āsela | Oromiya | 139,500 |
| 24 | Kombolcha | Amhara | 132,100 |
| 25 | Debre Tabor | Amhara | 125,300 |
| 26 | Ādīgrat | Tigray | 121,800 |
| 27 | Weldiya | Amhara | 104,000 |
| 28 | Sebeta | Oromiya | 102,300 |
| 29 | Burayu | Oromiya | 101,400 |
| 30 | Inda Silasē | Tigray | 100,100 |
| 31 | Hāgere Hiywet | Oromiya | 99,900 |
| 32 | Arsi Negele | Oromiya | 98,100 |
| 33 | Gambēla | Gambela | 97,600 |
| 34 | Aksum | Tigray | 94,500 |
| 35 | Ziway | Oromiya | 90,500 |
| 36 | Butajīra | Central Ethiopia Regional State | 89,800 |
| 37 | Adwa | Tigray | 85,600 |
| 38 | Gununo | South Ethiopia Regional State | 84,510 |
| 39 | Āreka | South Ethiopia Regional State | 84,500 |
| 40 | Yirga ‘Alem | Sidama Region | 81,600 |
| 41 | Waliso | Oromiya | 78,600 |
| 42 | Welk’īt’ē | Central Ethiopia Regional State | 77,500 |
| 43 | Mek’ī | Oromiya | 75,200 |
| 44 | Negēlē | Oromiya | 73,100 |
| 45 | K’olīto | Central Ethiopia Regional State | 72,200 |
| 46 | Alamata | Tigray | 70,400 |
| 47 | Ciro | Central Ethiopia Regional State | 69,800 |
| 48 | Āsosa | Bīnshangul Gumuz | 69,700 |
| 49 | Gode | Somali | 67,900 |
| 50 | Tēpī | South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region | 66,700 |
Twenty years earlier: Ethiopia in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 70,600,043.
Common questions
What is the population of Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has a population of 138,902,185, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 225,021,875 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Ethiopia?
Addis Ababa.