Abstract:
The population of Ethiopia is estimated to be nearly 86 million people, of whom 83.8% live in rural
areas and 16.2% are urban dwellers (CSA, 2007). Women and men constitute 49.5% and 50.5% of
the total population, respectively. Almost one quarter (23.4%) of the total population is made up of
women of reproductive age (between 15 and 49 years of age) (FMOH, 2014). The median age of
marriage for women is 16 years (EDHS, 2011). The total fertility rate (TFR) in Ethiopia is 4.1 lifetime
births per woman (CSA & FMOH, 2014). Over the years, the TFR has declined, as observed in the
last three Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the recent mini DHS: 5.5 children in 2000,
5.4 children in 2005, 4.8 children in 2011 and 4.1 in 2014 (CSA & FMOH, 2014). The adult HIV
prevalence in 2010/2011 was estimated to be 1.5%, with a higher prevalence among women (1.9%)
than among men (1.0%), (EDHS, 2011).
