The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 120,382, of whom 59,146 were men and 61,236 women; 10,903 or 9.06% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Gedeb were the Oromo (93.69%), and the Amhara (4.6%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.11% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 93.03%, and 6.51% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.46% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 77.87% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 21.76% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.