Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 250,727, of whom 126,959 are men and 123,768 women; 11,588 or 4.62% of its population are urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants were Protestants, with 92.8% of the population reporting that belief, 2.67% were Muslim, and 1.89% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[2]
In the 1994 Census this woreda had a population of 186,343, of whom 94,823 were men and 91,520 women; 5,897 or 3.16% of its population were urban dwellers. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Bensa were the Sidama (96.18%), the Amhara (2.2%), and the Oromo (0.96%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.66% of the population. Sidamo is spoken as a first language by 97.64% of the inhabitants, 1.46% speak Amharic, and 0.77% Oromiffa; the remaining 0.13% spoke all other primary languages reported. 77.76% of the population said they were Protestants, 7.59% observed traditional religions, 5.58% were Muslim, 3.21% were Ethiopian Orthodox, and 2.51% were Catholic.[3] Concerning education, 18.18% of the population were considered literate; 6.96% of children aged 7–12 were in primary school; 1.70% of the children aged 13–14 were in junior secondary school; and 0.93% of the inhabitants aged 15–18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions, about 62.36% of the urban houses and 13.61% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census, while about 65.72% of the urban and 5.1% of the total had toilet facilities.[4]
