The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 198,095, of whom 101,596 were men and 96,499 were women; 16,862 or 8.51% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants (94.21%) said they were Muslim, while 5.18% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[3]
Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda had an estimated total population of 155,644, of whom 75,300 were males and 80,344 were females; 13,360 or 8.58% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 9.6%. With an estimated area of 4,388.91 square kilometers, Darolebu has an estimated population density of 35.5 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 101.8.[4]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 110,199, of whom 57,097 were men and 53,102 women; 7,463 or 6.77% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. (This total also includes an estimate for the inhabitants of one rural kebele, which was not counted; they were estimated to have 849 inhabitants, of whom 444 were men and 405 women.) The four largest ethnic groups reported in Darolebu were the Oromo (88.44%), the Somali (5.2%), the Amhara (4.64%), and the Argobba (0.56%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.16% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 87.79%, 6.82% spoke Amharic, and 5.2% spoke Somali; the remaining 0.19% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem, with 93.16% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 6.58% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[5]
