Southern Nations, Nationalities' and Peoples' Regional State, Ethiopia

Southern Nations, Nationalities' and Peoples' Regional State (SNNPRS) is one of the nine regional states of Ethiopia. It covers ten per cent of the country and is home to 21 per cent of the population. It is the most densely populated region with 112 people per square km.

With 56 ethnic groups, a key characteristic of the region is its ethnic diversity. The population is predominantly rural with 64 per cent living in the highlands, 28 per cent in the lowlands and 8 per cent in urban areas.

Agriculture is the main occupation. Coffee is a key Ethiopian export and SNNPRS produces 40 per cent of the country's coffee. However, most farming is small-scale mixed farming. The average landholding is 1-1.2 hectares and just over half of all farming households own no cattle.

In 2000, 51 per cent of the population lived in absolute poverty. During the same year, the real expenditure per capita was Birr 965 (US$117.40).

Only 30 per cent of the adult population are literate and as in other regions there is a gender disparity in literacy levels (43 per cent for men and 17 per cent for women). The gross primary enrolment in 2000 was 62 per cent and is the highest amongst the regions where Young Lives is working. However, there continues to be gender inequality in access to education, as 77 per cent of boys were enrolled in comparison to only 46 per cent of girls.

32 per cent of children under-one receive the DPPT3 vaccination, which is a similar level of coverage to that in Oromiya. Potential health service coverage in the SNNRS in 2001 was 50 per cent.

Source: Southern Nations, Nationalities' and Peoples' Regional State
Paper Presented for the Country Strategy Paper Consultation (2002).
Welfare Monitoring Survey, 2000, Central Statistics authority.
Health Sector Development Programme Midterm Review Report (2001)