Dire Dawa: population, jobs, migration, health, water and sanitation
Dire Dawa is a city administration of Ethiopia, number 12 of 14 by population. The Ethiopian Statistical Service projects the population of Dire Dawa at 598,000 for July 2026 (302,000 male, 296,000 female), 0.5% of Ethiopia's 113.81 million; 3rd 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 Dire Dawa: 14.5% of Dire Dawa's labour force (people aged 10 and over working or looking for work) was unemployed in the 2024/25 National Integrated Household Survey, about 36,000 people; 2nd highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 9.6%). In the February 2021 Labour Market Survey the rate was 15.9% (Ethiopia: 8.0%).
- Health in Dire Dawa: For every 1,000 babies born in Dire Dawa in the ten years before the 2024-25 survey, 46 died before their first birthday and 58 before their fifth; the under-five rate is 6th highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia, last five years: 39 and 51).
How fast is Dire Dawa's population growing?
The projections add 16,000 people to Dire Dawa between July 2025 and July 2026, growth of 2.75% in a year (Ethiopia: 1.93%).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service · saved copyHow many people in Dire Dawa live in towns?
65.2% of Dire Dawa's people are projected to live in towns and cities in 2026 (390,000 urban, 208,000 rural), 2nd most urban of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 24.7%).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service · saved copyHow many children do women in Dire Dawa have?
Women in Dire Dawa have 3.3 children each on average, according to the 2024-25 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, joint 3rd lowest 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 Dire Dawa?
The 2024/25 National Integrated Household Survey found net migration of +20.5 recent migrants per 1,000 residents in Dire Dawa, meaning more people moved in than left; 4th highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (2021 Labour Market Survey: +30.9).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service · saved copyHow common is domestic violence in Dire Dawa?
30.8% of women in Dire Dawa who had ever had a husband or partner had suffered emotional, physical or sexual violence from their current or most recent partner, and 20.0% physical violence; 6th highest of the 14 regions and city administrations (Ethiopia: 29.8%).
Source: Ethiopian Statistical Service (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow city administrations 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 city administrations 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
- Afar 2,200,000
- Benishangul-Gumuz 1,346,000
- 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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