Demographic summary for Ethiopia and Uganda

Uganda and Ethiopia are both multi-ethnic societies, with recent histories marked by civil war and military dictatorship. Since the 1960s both countries have experienced rapid population growth. Uganda accounted for around 7.2 million individuals at independence in 1962. However, 50 years later, the total population had risen almost 4.5 times to nearly 33.5 million. In much the same way, Ethiopia's population was estimated at roughly 22.5 million at the start of the 1960s but had risen by almost 3.5 times to almost 83 million in 2010.… Whilst the Ethiopian population has grown more in absolute numbers, Uganda's comparatively smaller population has been increasing at a much faster rate. Indeed, the growth rate has remained at more than 3 percent since the mid-1970s and Uganda currently has one of the highest growth rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. The corresponding situation in Ethiopia is quite different: following a military coup in the mid-1970s, population growth fell by more than a percentage point. The growth rate then recovered and reached a peak of 3.3 percent in the mid-1990s before entering a period of sustained decline.… During the past 15 years, the gap between the two countries’ growth rates has increased. In 2010, the Ethiopian population grew 1 percent less than the Ugandan population. To understand these differences, it is particularly important to look at fertility trends. From 1960 until the beginning of the 1990s, fertility rates remained roughly constant in both countries, with women giving birth to an average of seven children during the course of their lives. From the 1990s onwards, Ethiopian fertility fell. By 2010, average fertility in the country was around 2.5 children per woman. In contrast to this, Ugandan fertility only experienced small declines in the same period. In 2010, average fertility remained high at about 6.4 children per woman.

Source: Berlin Institute for Population and Development (2014: 1).