Data on the demographics, education, health and infrastructure: Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia

This data article presents a comprehensive data set about Wolaita Zone (Ethiopia), and the Woredas / Districts within it. The tables cover administrative, demographic, educational, agricultural, transport, and water aspects of the zone. The majority of the data is from 2013/2014, however, a few tables provide trend data over recent years. The evidence shows rapid population growth, significant educational challenges, limitations of health coverage, disparities of agricultural extension service provision and potable water. The data are otherwise not available to researchers and these data sets enable greater contextualization for any on-going or future research within the zone. The data were provided by the Zonal Administration in 2015, and were part of a research project that was approved by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and supported by the Regional Health Bureau.


How data was acquired
Data were obtained from the Zonal Administration of Wolaita Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia.

Data format
Analyzed Experimental factors Data used in this article were obtained from the Zonal Administration of Wolaita Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia and is otherwise not publicly available.

Experimental features
Tables are employed. Data source location Ethiopia Data accessibility The data are with this article.

Value of the data
Provides comprehensive administrative data on Wolaita Zone that is not otherwise available.
In addition to recent figures, some indictors also provide trend data, allowing researchers to assess changes over time.
Can support on-going and future studies in Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia

Data
The tables present a detailed picture of Wolaita Zone (Fig. 1), and the Woredas / Districts within it. The data in Table 1 outlines the Woredas/Districts and numbers of Kebeles/Communities within them, as well as their urban or rural status. The population of the zone and the woredas are presented in Table 2, providing a nine-year-period highlight significant population growth. The type, distribution, enrolment, and student-teacher ratios of schools in the zone and woredas are identified in Tables 3-5. While significant progress has been made in providing educational services in Wolaita in recent decades [1], the data suggest serious challenges remain. Health institutions and service coverage are presented in Table 6, showing that higher-tier health services are unavailable to the vast majority. Table 7 outlines agricultural extension worker coverage. The road network and road types are presented in Table 8, while Table 9 outlines potable water access. Throughout, the data outline significant disparities within the zone. While the quality of data provided by statistics agencies in Africa have been called into question [2], few alternative sources exist. Recognizing the limitations, and potential politicization, of data, the objective of sharing this comprehensive administrative dataset for Wolaita Zone, and the Woredas/Districts within it, is to increase the accessibility of the government data. At present, this data are only available at the Zonal Administration office, and often obtaining the data from that can be challenging.

Experimental design, materials and methods
The administrative, demographic, educational, agricultural, transport and water coverage data were obtained from the Wolaita Zone Administration of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. The tables presented here are reproduced as provided, with only minor changes to ensure consistency (e.g., on decimal point usage, spelling and formatting). For the sake of clarity, all data tables use Ethiopian terms for administrative categories: Woreda (District), Kebele (Community). With some minor corrections, the spelling utilized was that provided by the Zonal Administration. In many cases the data calculations appear incorrect (e.g., calculating ratios), but these have been left as provided by the Zonal Administration in case other unknown factors were taken into account in preparing these datasets. The evidence shows rapid population growth, significant educational challenges, limitations of health coverage, disparities of agricultural extension service provision and potable water. The data are otherwise not available to researchers and these datasets enable greater contextualization for any on-going or future research within the zone.