With approximately 86 million people, Ethiopia has one of the highest populations in Africa. It is, however, least urbanized, with 83.6 percent of the population living in rural areas and only 16.4 percent in urban areas. About 49.5 percent of the total population is female, of whom 24 percent are in their reproductive age (15-49 years). The population is predominantly youthful, with 44.9 percent of the population under the age of 15
and the entire population estimated to grow at 2.6 percent every year. While fertility trends have declined from 6.4 in 1990 to 4.8 births per woman in 2010, the country’s population will continue to increase on account of the large youthful population of childbearing age.