 The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 170,216, of whom 83,809 were men and 86,407 women; 14,885 or 8.74% of its population were urban dwellers at the time.The two largest ethnic groups reported in Cheliya were the Oromo (96.19%), and the Amhara (3.14%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.67% of the population.The Oromo language was spoken as a first language by 97%, and 2.76% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.24% spoke all other primary languages reported.