Demographic characteristics of the rural population of Ethiopia

"In the field of population studies, Ethiopia has neither carried out even a single population census nor established a vital statistics registration system. But with the available scanty and defective data, attempts are made here to examine the demographic situation of rural Ethiopia. Since only about 13% of the total population of the country are estimated to reside in agglomerations of 2,000 and above, Ethiopia is predominantly rural. According to the estimates of the vital rates, Ethiopia has been experiencing high levels of fertility and mortality conditions. "The low average life expectancy at birth, together with the high birth and death rates can indicate the low level of living which has been prevalent in the country."