Population and Development

The second most populous country in Africa, at 77.1 million in 2007, the population of Ethiopia has experienced steady growth over the years, from 53.4 million in 1994 to 63.5 million in 2000. At an average annual increase of 2.8 per cent, growth is sustained by high fertility levels and declining mortality.

The purpose of the Population and Development Strategies (PDS) sub-programme is to contribute to ensuring that population and gender issues are addressed systematically within the framework of development policies, programmes and processes, on the basis of reliable population data.

PDS covers two major areas

Increased availability of and access to up-to-date disaggregated population data for policy and programme management; and
Strengthened capacity of the government and civil society to integrate population issues into development policies and poverty eradication strategies.

In line with the multi-year funding framework, the census will provide data for the in-depth analysis of population dynamics and poverty mapping. The Ethiopian demographic and health survey will provide baseline data for Millennium Development Goals 3, 4, 5 and 6. www.millenniumcampaign.org

Component Projects

Strengthened capacity at all levels to address population issues through the Population Department in the Ministry of Finance and Development, the Central Statistics Agency (CSA), the Regional Office of Population in each of the country's 11 regions, as well as the Population Studies and Research Centre of Addis Ababa University.

For the implementation of the sub-programme, a total amount of US$ 34.20 million was allocated.

Main outputs of the PDS sub-programme

• Establishing a functional and regularly updated Integrated Population and Development Database;
• Assist the government in the conduction of the 2007 National Population and Housing Census;
• Assist the government in undertaking the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS);
• Support the establishment of a Vital Statistics Registration system, which will provide a basis for continuously compiling data on vital events (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) for use in deriving demographic indicators and associated socio-economic factors, as well as the issuing of certificates of birth, death, marriage and divorce;
• Disseminate disaggregated population data;
• Build capacity of individuals at the federal, regional and community levels for integrating population issues into development policies and poverty reduction strategies;
• Support the establishment of a National Population Council to facilitate effective coordination of population activities;
• Prepare monitoring and evaluation (M&E) guidelines and undertake M&E of the Population Action Plan;
• Build partnerships, including organizing donor consultations and round tables;
• Develop a research agenda, conduct research and disseminate research results.