The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 229,562, of whom 113,510 were men and 116,052 women; 59,219 or 25.80% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Shashamene were the Oromo (74.11%), the Amhara (9.26%), the Welayta (5%), the Kambaata (2.3%), and the Soddo Gurage (2.13%); all other ethnic groups made up 7.2% of the population. The predominant clan of the Oromo people in this woreda are the Arsi Oromo. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 71.7%, 18.23% spoke Amharic, 3.49% Welayta, 1.52% Kambaata, and 1.14% spoke Sebat Bet Gurage; the remaining 2.02% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem, with 69.38% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 23.51% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 5.62% were Protestant, and 1.05% were Roman Catholic.