Largest cities in Ethiopia by population
The 25 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for Ethiopia: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Addis Ababa with 4,030,000 people.
Who runs cities in Ethiopia?
Regional states (12) and chartered cities (2: Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa): Directly elected state councils; regional president chosen by the council. Tigray has had a federally appointed interim administration since 2023.. Own constitutions, laws, police, courts; set up local government.
How local power works in Ethiopia · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addis Ababa (capital) | 4,030,000 | 1 July 2024 |
| 2 | Gondar | 509,063 | 1 July 2024 |
| 3 | Nazareth | 504,345 | 1 July 2024 |
| 4 | Mekele | 502,743 | 1 July 2024 |
| 5 | Awassa | 462,762 | 1 July 2024 |
| 6 | Bahir Dar | 382,361 | 1 July 2024 |
| 7 | Dire Dawa | 366,000 | 1 July 2024 |
| 8 | Dessie | 295,368 | 1 July 2024 |
| 9 | Jimma | 276,982 | 1 July 2024 |
| 10 | Shashemene | 230,019 | 1 July 2024 |
| 11 | Debre Zeit | 228,936 | 1 July 2024 |
| 12 | Sodo | 223,730 | 1 July 2024 |
| 13 | Arba Minch | 220,363 | 1 July 2024 |
| 14 | Jigjiga | 210,128 | 1 July 2024 |
| 15 | Hosaena | 206,271 | 1 July 2024 |
| 16 | Dila | 174,050 | 1 July 2024 |
| 17 | Nekemte | 172,214 | 1 July 2024 |
| 18 | Harar | 166,000 | 1 July 2024 |
| 19 | Debre Birhan | 160,505 | 1 July 2024 |
| 20 | Asela | 154,037 | 1 July 2024 |
| 21 | Debre Markos | 153,710 | 1 July 2024 |
| 22 | Komboicha | 144,341 | 1 July 2024 |
| 23 | Debre Tabor | 136,901 | 1 July 2024 |
| 24 | Adigrat | 121,776 | 1 July 2024 |
| 25 | Gambela | 108,651 | 1 July 2024 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on Ethiopia: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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