Oromiya National Regional State

Oromiya is the largest region in the country, both in terms of land and population size. However, the population density is only 65 people per square km, i.e. fourth after the other Young Lives regions of Southern Nations, Nationalities' and Peoples' Regional State (SNNPRS), Amhara and Tigray.
Oromiya has a young population like the other regions. 46 per cent of the population is under 15, whilst only 3.4 per cent of the population is over 64.

In Oromiya, almost 90 per cent of the population live in rural areas. It is the largest producer of coffee, a key Ethiopian export. The main source of livelihood is mixed farming i.e. livestock and crops. The region has the highest number of cattle in the country. It also has rich mineral deposits, including gold.

Oromiya is wealthiest of the four Young Lives regions. In 1999/00, 40 per cent of the population had insufficient food to eat (absolute food poverty index) and real per capita expenditure during the same period was Birr 1055 (US$128.34).

Despite the greater wealth of the region, the adult literacy rate is comparable to that of Amhara and Tigray at 27 per cent. As in the other regions, women's literacy rate is lower than that for men (16 per cent of women are literate compared to 38 per cent of men). 61 per cent of eligible children are enrolled in primary school (74 per cent of boys and 47 per cent of girls).

In 2001, 53 per cent of the population in Oromiya lived within a 10 km radius of a health facility. Only 34 per cent of children under-one in the same year received the DPPT3 vaccination.