Data as of Aug 2, 2026, 11:35 PM

SERIAL · 706Africa

Somalia

CapitalMogadishu

CurrencySOS · Somali shilling

LanguageSomali, Arabic

Area637,660 km²

Since1960

ISOSOM · SO

Population

19.7Mas of 2025

— THE COUNTRY —

Country in East Africa

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. Stretching across the Horn of Africa, it borders Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the east. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Somalia has an estimated population of more than 18 million, of which 2.7 million live in the capital and largest city, Mogadishu. As one of Africa's most ethnically homogeneous countries, around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis. The official and national language of the country is Somali while Arabic is recognised as a second language. The overwhelming majority of the population are Sunni Muslims.

Text: Wikipedia — SomaliaCC BY-SA 4.0 · revised 2026-07-29

— FACTS —

Capital: Mogadishu
Currency: Somali shilling (SOS)
Official language: Somali, Arabic
Drives on the: Right
Calling code: +252
Licence plate code: SO
Top-level domain: .so
Independence / founding: 1960
Highest point: Shimbiris (2,460 m)
Lowest point: Indian Ocean (0 m)
Anthem: Qolobaa Calankeed

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) · as of 2026-08-02

— LAND —

Land covered by forest

9.2%% of land area

#167 of 2132023

29% of world average

Forest area

57,498km²

#73 of 2132023

30% of world average

Agricultural land

70.3%% of land area

#19 of 2092023

189% of world average

Farmable (arable) land

1.8%% of land area

#175 of 2062023

13% of world average

Land area

637,660km²

#42 of 2152023

98% of world average

— PEOPLE —

Population

19.7Mpeople

#66 of 2162025

52% of world average

Population growth

3.3%% per year

#8 of 2162025

338% of world average

Population density

29people per km²

#171 of 2152023

6% of world average

People living in cities

55.1%% of population

#144 of 2162025

87% of world average

Urban population growth

4.3%% per year

#15 of 2162025

281% of world average

People living rurally

44.9%% of population

#73 of 2162025

122% of world average

Population aged 0-14

46.6%% of population

#2 of 2162025

185% of world average

Population aged 15-64

50.8%% of population

#214 of 2162025

79% of world average

Population aged 65+

2.6%% of population

#205 of 2162025

24% of world average

▸ ISSUE 7 MORE

Age dependency ratio

96.7%% of working-age population

#3 of 2162025

169% of world average

Female population

49.9%% of population

#145 of 2162025

100% of world average

Births per woman

6births per woman

#2 of 2162024

256% of world average

Birth rate

42.3 /1,000per 1,000 people

#3 of 2162024

246% of world average

Death rate

9.7 /1,000per 1,000 people

#44 of 2162024

127% of world average

Net migration

12,077people (5-year total)

#40 of 2162025

10968% of world average

Migrants living in the country

0.4%% of population

#199 of 2152024

3% of world average

— MONEY —

GDP

$13.00Bcurrent US$

#150 of 2112025

2% of world average

GDP, purchasing power parity

$32.29Bcurrent int'l $

#148 of 1992025

3% of world average

GDP per person

$661current US$

#205 of 2112025

3% of world average

GDP per person, purchasing power parity

$1,643current int'l $

#197 of 1992025

5% of world average

GDP growth

3.0%% per year

#115 of 2102025

89% of world average

GDP per person growth

-0.4%% per year

#185 of 2102025

-16% of world average

Gross national income

$12.94Bcurrent US$

#150 of 2042025

2% of world average

Gross national income per person

$640current US$

#197 of 2032025

3% of world average

Gross national income per person, PPP

$1,640current int'l $

#194 of 1972025

5% of world average

▸ ISSUE 20 MORE

Inflation (GDP deflator)

12.9%% per year

#187 of 2092025

182% of world average

Real interest rate

-18.5%%

not enough data to rank1988

-447% of world average

Lending interest rate

33.7%%

not enough data to rank1988

298% of world average

Government debt

12.7%% of GDP

#2 of 632024

21% of world average

Government revenue

3.1%% of GDP

#148 of 1492024

12% of world average

Government spending

6.3%% of GDP

#146 of 1492023

23% of world average

Government consumption

8.1%% of GDP

#168 of 1812025

46% of world average

Household consumption

133.3%% of GDP

#1 of 1812025

207% of world average

Investment (gross capital formation)

28.1%% of GDP

#45 of 1782025

121% of world average

Fixed investment

28.1%% of GDP

#35 of 1732025

126% of world average

Foreign investment inflows

$765.0Mcurrent US$

#105 of 2012024

9% of world average

Foreign investment inflows

6.4%% of GDP

#33 of 1982024

no comparison

Foreign reserves

$23.1Mcurrent US$

not enough data to rank1989

0% of world average

External debt

$1.80Bcurrent US$

#21 of 1212024

2% of world average

Money sent home by workers abroad

$21.7Mcurrent US$

not enough data to rank1983

0% of world average

Foreign aid received

20.4%% of GNI

#9 of 1372023

340% of world average

Exchange rate

23,098local currency per US$

#4 of 2112017

1593% of world average

Agriculture's share of the economy

55.8%% of GDP

not enough data to rank1990

559% of world average

Industry's share of the economy

9.7%% of GDP

not enough data to rank1986

39% of world average

Manufacturing's share of the economy

3.9%% of GDP

not enough data to rank1990

36% of world average

10 of 39 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— TRADE —

Exports

29.2%% of GDP

#119 of 1872025

68% of world average

Imports

98.8%% of GDP

#10 of 1872025

199% of world average

Trade balance

-69.6%% of GDP

#185 of 1872025

no comparison

Total trade (openness)

40.2%% of GDP

#143 of 2052025

62% of world average

Goods exported

$1.30Bcurrent US$

#152 of 2072025

1% of world average

Goods imported

$3.93Bcurrent US$

#147 of 2072025

3% of world average

Terms of trade

75index

#200 of 2062024

71% of world average

5 of 12 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— HEALTH —

Life expectancy

59.0 yrsyears

#211 of 2162024

80% of world average

Life expectancy, women

61.6 yrsyears

#211 of 2162024

80% of world average

Life expectancy, men

56.5 yrsyears

#211 of 2162024

79% of world average

Infant deaths

65.4 /1,000per 1,000 live births

#193 of 1962024

353% of world average

Deaths under age 5

101.1 /1,000per 1,000 live births

#194 of 1962024

418% of world average

Maternal deaths

563per 100,000 live births

#189 of 1942023

485% of world average

Health spending

3.7%% of GDP

#161 of 1932023

55% of world average

Health spending per person

$22current US$

#191 of 1932023

2% of world average

Physicians

0.0 /1,000per 1,000 people

not enough data to rank2014

2% of world average

▸ ISSUE 9 MORE

Nurses and midwives

0.3 /1,000per 1,000 people

not enough data to rank2014

6% of world average

Hospital beds

0.9 /1,000per 1,000 people

#133 of 1572019

29% of world average

Access to clean drinking water

75.3%% of population

#182 of 2142024

83% of world average

Access to basic sanitation

44.5%% of population

#185 of 2132024

55% of world average

Suicide rate

8per 100,000 people

#105 of 1852021

93% of world average

HIV prevalence

0.1%% aged 15-49

#38 of 1532024

7% of world average

Tuberculosis cases

151per 100,000 people

#164 of 2082024

152% of world average

Undernourishment

53.2%% of population

#167 of 1682023

528% of world average

Children vaccinated against measles

64.0%% of children 12-23 months

#178 of 1932024

75% of world average

1 of 19 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— LEARNING —

Education spending

0.0%% of GDP

#190 of 1902023

0% of world average

Education spending

8.1%% of government spending

#173 of 1892025

60% of world average

Adult literacy

54.1%% aged 15+

#107 of 1192022

65% of world average

Youth literacy

70.7%% aged 15-24

#116 of 1262022

78% of world average

Primary school enrolment

20.9%% gross

#200 of 2002023

21% of world average

Secondary school enrolment

3.3%% gross

#188 of 1882023

4% of world average

University enrolment

2.4%% gross

not enough data to rank1987

5% of world average

Pupils per teacher, primary school

36pupils per teacher

not enough data to rank2007

160% of world average

Years of compulsory education

8.0 yrsyears

#165 of 1972025

80% of world average

1 of 10 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— WORK —

Unemployment

18.9%% of labour force

#178 of 1862025

274% of world average

Youth unemployment

34.2%% of labour force aged 15-24

#172 of 1862025

218% of world average

Labour force participation

33.8%% aged 15+

#183 of 1862025

56% of world average

Women in the labour force

20.7%% of women aged 15+

#174 of 1862025

41% of world average

Men in the labour force

47.2%% of men aged 15+

#183 of 1862025

68% of world average

Labour force

3.6Mpeople

#100 of 1862025

18% of world average

Working in agriculture

30.0%% of employment

#60 of 1862025

136% of world average

Working in industry

17.8%% of employment

#112 of 1862025

91% of world average

Working in services

52.2%% of employment

#117 of 1862025

89% of world average

▸ ISSUE 3 MORE

Self-employed

52.2%% of employment

#57 of 1862025

135% of world average

Labour force with advanced education

41.5%% of labour force

#168 of 1712022

54% of world average

Employed

27.4%% aged 15+

#183 of 1862025

48% of world average

— CONNECTED —

People online

27.9%% of population

#188 of 2072024

39% of world average

Mobile phone subscriptions

54per 100 people

#197 of 2102023

47% of world average

Fixed broadband subscriptions

1per 100 people

#175 of 2082023

4% of world average

Fixed telephone lines

0per 100 people

#186 of 2132023

2% of world average

Access to electricity

54.4%% of population

#193 of 2142024

61% of world average

Access to clean cooking fuel

5.4%% of population

#173 of 1892023

8% of world average

Air passengers carried

34,066passengers

#152 of 1652019

0% of world average

Air freight

0million tonne-km

#163 of 1632019

0% of world average

Container port traffic

92,238TEU

#125 of 1672019

2% of world average

▸ ISSUE 2 MORE

Patent applications by residents

1count

not enough data to rank1984

0% of world average

Scientific journal articles published

152count

#134 of 1972023

1% of world average

7 of 18 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— NATURE —

Carbon emissions per person

0tonnes per person

#10 of 2032024

1% of world average

Carbon emissions

1Mt CO2

#38 of 2032024

0% of world average

Greenhouse gas emissions

34Mt CO2-equivalent

#101 of 2032024

14% of world average

Protected land

0.0%% of land area

#213 of 2132025

0% of world average

Protected coastal waters

0.0%% of territorial waters

#171 of 1742025

0% of world average

Freshwater withdrawn

55.0%% of internal resources

#149 of 1772022

43% of world average

Renewable water available per person

337m³ per person

#159 of 1832022

2% of world average

Renewable energy use

95.4%% of final energy consumption

#2 of 2122022

328% of world average

Electricity from renewables

11.2%% of total

#140 of 2062021

32% of world average

▸ ISSUE 2 MORE

Electricity from fossil fuels

88.8%% of total

#151 of 2092021

150% of world average

Electricity from nuclear power

0.0%% of total

#176 of 2082021

0% of world average

1 of 12 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— STATE —

Military spending

1.6%% of GDP

#80 of 1562024

71% of world average

Military spending

$201.9Mcurrent US$

#124 of 1602024

1% of world average

Military spending

21.6%% of government spending

#6 of 1532024

291% of world average

Armed forces personnel

14,000people

#120 of 1702020

9% of world average

Armed forces

0.5%% of labour force

#119 of 1682020

38% of world average

Tax revenue

2.2%% of GDP

#147 of 1492024

13% of world average

1 of 7 figures unavailable for Somalia.

— TRADE PARTNERS —

Loading trade partner map…

— TRADE —

No trade data available for Somalia.

— EXTRAS —

Anthem

Qolobaa CalankeedAudio: Wikimedia Commons

Capital time

--:--:--Mogadishu · approx. UTC+3

Neighbours

Djibouti

Ethiopia

Kenya

Landmarks

No landmark photos on file for Somalia yet

People

Siad BarreHead of State of Somalia (1919–1995)

Waris DirieSomali model, author, actress, activist

ImanSomali model and actress

Hassan Sheikh MohamudSomali removal of president

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamedthe 10th and current president of the Federal Republic of Somalia

Aden Abdullah Osman DaarSomali politician (1908-2007)

Sharif Sheikh AhmedSomali politician

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmedformer president of Puntland and President of Somalia (dead 2012)

K’naanSomali-Canadian musician

Barkhad AbdiSomali-American actor

Nuruddin FarahSomali writer

History

1960Somalia — founding / independence (Wikidata)

Size, side by side

Loading size comparison…

1960 → now

2026

Population19.7M2025

GDP$13.00B2025

GDP per person$6612025