The study was conducted in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, between January and March of 1994, to estimate the prevalence of mental distress using the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ). The study population of 10 203 was selected from the entire city by a cluster sampling method proportionate to size. Five percent of the study population reported at least 2 of the 4 SRQ items for probable psychosis. By use of the 20-item SRQ for assessing mental distress, and using a cutoff level of at least 6 out of 20 items, 11.7% of the study population was categorized as having mental distress. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that women had a statistically significant 62% increased risk of having mental distress than men. There was a statistically significant trend of increasing risk with increasing age. There was also a significant trend of reduced risk with increasing educational attainment and family size. Employment was also inversely associated with risk: adjusted Odds Ratio and 95% confidence interval, OR (95%)CI)=0.81(0.69, 0.95). Family history of mental illnesses was positively associated with risk: OR (95%CI)=3.98(3.18, 4.98). Marital status, ethnicity and religion were not significantly associated with risk of mental distress.