Afar: population, jobs, migration, health, water and sanitation
Afar is a regional state of Ethiopia, number 10 of 14 by population. The Ethiopian Statistical Service projects the population of the Afar region at 2,200,000 for July 2026 (1,191,000 male, 1,009,000 female), 1.9% of Ethiopia's 113.81 million; 5th smallest of the 14 regions and city administrations. Ethiopia's last census was in 2007, so every regional figure is a projection from that count.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Afar: 9.1% of Afar's labour force (people aged 10 and over working or looking for work) was unemployed in the 2024/25 National Integrated Household Survey, about 82,000 people; 6th highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 9.6%). In the February 2021 Labour Market Survey the rate was 11.3% (Ethiopia: 8.0%).
- Health in Afar: For every 1,000 babies born in Afar in the ten years before the 2024-25 survey, 54 died before their first birthday and 78 before their fifth; the under-five rate is the highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia, last five years: 39 and 51).
How fast is Afar's population growing?
The projections add 39,000 people to Afar between July 2025 and July 2026, growth of 1.80% in a year (Ethiopia: 1.93%).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service · saved copyHow many people in Afar live in towns?
25.2% of Afar's people are projected to live in towns and cities in 2026 (555,000 urban, 1,645,000 rural), 7th most urban of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 24.7%).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service · saved copyHow many children do women in Afar have?
Women in Afar have 5.9 children each on average, according to the 2024-25 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, 2nd highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 4.0).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyAre people moving to or away from Afar?
The 2024/25 National Integrated Household Survey found net migration of -6.8 recent migrants per 1,000 residents in Afar, meaning more people left than moved in; the lowest of the 14 regions and city administrations (2021 Labour Market Survey: +5.7).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service · saved copyHow common is domestic violence in Afar?
24.5% of women in Afar who had ever had a husband or partner had suffered emotional, physical or sexual violence from their current or most recent partner, and 17.5% physical violence; 5th lowest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 29.8%).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow regional states are governed 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.
Every tier of government in Ethiopia
Other regional states of Ethiopia
- Oromia 43,589,000
- Amhara 24,207,000
- South Ethiopia 8,093,428
- Somali 7,106,000
- Central Ethiopia 6,683,946
- Tigray 6,134,000
- Sidama 5,033,486
- Addis Ababa 4,198,000
- South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region 3,592,142
- Benishangul-Gumuz 1,346,000
- Dire Dawa 598,000
- Gambella 572,000
- Harari 303,000
Up a level: Ethiopia · government and power in Ethiopia · cities
Sources
- Ethiopian Statistical Service (with ICF, The DHS Program): Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey 2024-25, Summary Report: regional indicator table (water, sanitation, fertility, child mortality), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 11639969304a…)
- Ethiopian Statistical Service (with ICF, The DHS Program): Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey 2024-25, Key Indicators Report: Tables 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 17.1 and 18 by region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 36b60096ac11…)
- Ethiopian Statistical Service: National Integrated Household Survey 2024/25: Labour Force Key Findings (Appendix Summary Tables 1 and 3, Tables B1-B4), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 621e313a7446…)
- Ethiopian Statistical Service: National Integrated Household Survey 2024/25: Migration Key Findings (Table 4.6: regional net migration), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e7f1f7aad215…)
- Ethiopian Statistical Service: Population Size by Sex, Area and Density by Region, Zone and Wereda: July 2026 (projection from the 2007 census), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1d73f105efd1…)
- Ethiopian Statistical Service: Population Size by Sex, Area and Density by Region, Zone and Wereda: July 2025 (projection from the 2007 census), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 724f5cd79d33…)
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