Myth: Ethiopia is mostly Christian

[antiimperialist]

I'm surprised at how many common people state as a fact that Ethiopia has a Christian majority. Even newspapers are spreading misinformation:

Ethiopia, a mostly Christian country, is trying to help the Somali government, fractured by 10 years of anarchy, to keep Muslim terrorists from taking control of the country.

Here's another one, from the International Relations and Security Network (whatever that is):

There is a long history of distrust and animosity between the mostly Christian Ethiopia and the majority Muslim Somalia.

Now, if we read the CIA breakdown in its Ethiopia pages, we can see that the faith is distributed in the following manner:

Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%

Get it right people.
https://cia.gov/cia//publications/factbook/fields/2122.html

[oberliner]

1. That CIA figure is disputed

The last census was in 1994 with Christians making up 61% of the country and Muslims making up 33% of the country.

At least according to this source:

http://bxabeg.people.wm.edu/

[Igel]

2. Most of the reports I've read today and yesterday have

been cautious and accurate: Christian-led, traditionally Christian, etc., etc.

I'm being cautious in saying "most": I can't recall one that said what was true in the '80s and before, that Ethiopia was majority Xian. Greater birthrate and an influx of refugees might have skewed things a fair amount, or maybe not so much--the influx wasn't quantified, and they've had incursions of S. Ethiopian ethnic groups into Kenya.