 The majority of the inhabitants said they were Protestant, with 54.38% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 32.76% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 5.48% practiced traditional religions.Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 240,055, of whom 122,182 are men and 117,873 are women; 26,619 or 11.09% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%.With an estimated area of 1,854.07 square kilometers, Cheliya has an estimated population density of 129.5 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 152.8.