The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 118,457, of whom 59,067 were men and 59,390 women; 12,847 or 10.85% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Robe were the Oromo (86.11%), the Amhara (11.25%), and the Soddo Gurage people (1.39%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.25% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 84.15%, and 15.22% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.63% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 59.23% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 40.41% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.