 The 2007 national census reported a total population for this town of 35,264, of whom 18,351 were men and 16,913 were women.The majority of the inhabitants said they were Muslim, with 54.89% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 34.25% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 8.24% were Protestant, and 2.34% practiced traditional beliefs.The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 23,997 of whom 12,036 were men and 11,961 women.