DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES

According to an analysis, which focused on the assets, income and expenditure of households, based on the 1995/96 household income, consumption and expenditure survey, it is estimated that 45.5 percent of the population in the country are absolutely poor, meaning they are unable to lead a life fulfilling the minimum livelihood standard. The study also shows significant differences in poverty levels between urban and rural areas. 47 percent of the rural population lives in absolute poverty while only 33 percent of the urban population is found in absolute poverty. The distribution of poverty varies greatly between regions ranging from 25 and 29 percent in Dire Dawa administration and Harar regional state, 58, 57 and 56 percent in Tigray, Amhara and Southern nations and nationalities regional states respectively. In terms of socio-economic groupings, the data available indicates that in urban areas the disabled, unemployed and part time workers in the informal sectors constitute the bulk of the poor. Within the rural areas, poverty is prevalent among the resource poor.

The majority of Tigreans are followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox church while there are Muslims, Catholics and different Protestant groups. The Tigreans who speak Tigrigna are dominant inhabitants and the minority nationalities are known as Kunama, Saho and Agew.

The total population of the region is estimated to be about 3.5 million of which 89 percent are rural dwellers (CSO, 1994). An average family size is estimated at five persons per household. The average population density is estimated to be about fifty persons per sq km. However, population density increases to about one hundred and twenty persons per sq km in some areas of the region. At a national level the life expectancy at birth is 45.5 years and the adult literacy rate is 66.6 although figures are not available for Tigray. Urban unemployment rate is 9.7 and rural unemployment is estimated to be below that of urban areas. From the statistics mentioned above, one can imagine how the dependency syndrome is getting worse.