Located at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands in the Debub Wollo Zone, Dessie Zuria is bordered on the south by Abuko and Were Ilu, on the southwest by Legambo, on the northwest by Tenta, on the north by Kutaber, on the northeast by Tehuledere, and on the east by Kalu.

In 2002, a number of kebeles were taken from Kalu and Dessie Zuria to create the new woreda of Abuko.

[2] Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 157,679, an increase of -21.72% over the 1994 census, of whom 77,626 are men and 80,053 women; - or 0.00% are urban inhabitants.

The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 98.51% reporting that as their religion, while 1.39% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.

The largest ethnic group reported in Dessie Zuria was the Amhara (99.93%).