 The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 170,523 in 34,681 households, of whom 85,326 were men and 85,197 were women; 9,897 or 5.8% of its population were urban dwellers.The largest ethnic group reported in Kalu was the Amhara (99.24%).Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.27%.