Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for this District of 252,269, of whom 127,371 were men and 124,898 were women; 15,198 or 6.03% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they were Muslim, with 93.2% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 6.26% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[3]
Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this District has an estimated total population of 240,285, of whom 117,864 are men and 122,421 are women; 12,459 or 5.19% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 6.9%. With an estimated area of 657.03 square kilometers, Meta has an estimated population density of 365.7 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 102.6.[4]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this District of 172,803, of whom 88,440 were men and 84,363 women; 6,958 or 4.03% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Meta were the Oromo (92.03%), and the Amhara (7.6%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.37% of the population. Oromo was spoken as a first language by 92.32%, and 7.44% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.24% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 91.97% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 7.81% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[5]
