The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 174,360, of whom 86,930 were men and 87,430 women; 21,160 or 12.14% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Hitosa were the Oromo (80.74%), the Amhara (17.8%), and the Silt'e (0.62%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.84% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 76.64%, 10.24% Amharic, and 0.39% spoke Silt'e; the remaining 0.73% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 53.93% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 45.42% of the population said they were Muslim.