Ethiopia's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Addis Ababa in orange
Ethiopia has 1 city with more than a million inhabitants and 30 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Addis Ababa with 3,860,000 people, followed by Jijiga (483,000) and Gonder (466,000). The three largest cities together hold about 3.4% of the country's 139.9 million people.
The capital, Addis Ababa, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in Amhara (8), Oromiya (8), Somali (3).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the Ethiopia population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the Ethiopia atlas.
Ethiopia cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of Ethiopia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addis AbabaCapital | Addis Ababa | 3,860,000 | 2.8% |
| 2 | Jijiga | Somali | 483,000 | 0.3% |
| 3 | Gonder | Amhara | 466,000 | 0.3% |
| 4 | Mek'ele | Tigray | 457,900 | 0.3% |
| 5 | Nazrēt | Oromiya | 456,900 | 0.3% |
| 6 | Warder | Somali | 450,400 | 0.3% |
| 7 | Awasa | Sidama Region | 422,200 | 0.3% |
| 8 | Bahir Dar | Amhara | 350,000 | 0.3% |
| 9 | Dire Dawa | Dire Dawa | 343,000 | 0.2% |
| 10 | Dessie | Amhara | 270,400 | 0.2% |
| 11 | Jimma | Oromiya | 250,900 | 0.2% |
| 12 | Shashamane | Oromiya | 208,400 | 0.1% |
| 13 | Bishoftu | Oromiya | 207,400 | 0.1% |
| 14 | Sodo | South Ethiopia Regional State | 204,100 | 0.1% |
| 15 | Arba Minch | South Ethiopia Regional State | 201,000 | 0.1% |
| 16 | Hosa’ina | Central Ethiopia Regional State | 188,200 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Dīla | South Ethiopia Regional State | 158,800 | 0.1% |
| 18 | Harar | Harari | 157,000 | 0.1% |
| 19 | Nek’emtē | Oromiya | 156,000 | 0.1% |
| 20 | Ārabī | Somali | 148,933 | 0.1% |
| 21 | Debre Birhan | Amhara | 146,900 | 0.1% |
| 22 | Debre Mark’os | Amhara | 140,700 | 0.1% |
| 23 | Āsela | Oromiya | 139,500 | 0.1% |
| 24 | Kombolcha | Amhara | 132,100 | 0.1% |
| 25 | Debre Tabor | Amhara | 125,300 | 0.1% |
| 26 | Ādīgrat | Tigray | 121,800 | 0.1% |
| 27 | Weldiya | Amhara | 104,000 | 0.1% |
| 28 | Sebeta | Oromiya | 102,300 | 0.1% |
| 29 | Burayu | Oromiya | 101,400 | 0.1% |
| 30 | Inda Silasē | Tigray | 100,100 | 0.1% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in Ethiopia?
Addis Ababa, with about 3,860,000 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of Ethiopia?
Addis Ababa — population 3,860,000, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in Ethiopia have over one million people?
1: Addis Ababa.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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UgandaCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in Ethiopia 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/ethiopia/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/ethiopia/">Largest Cities in Ethiopia 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.