Ethiopia's population is highly diverse. Most of its people speak a
Semitic or
Cushitic language. The
Oromo,
Amhara,
Somali and
Tigreans make up more than three-quarters (¾) of the population, but there are more than 80 different ethnic groups within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members.
English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools.
Amharic was the language of primary school instruction but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as
Oromifa,
Somali and
Tigrinya. The physical appearance of Ethiopians are also from diverse ranging from a light skinned western Eurasian admixed to Sub-Saharan Phenotypes.