Somalia
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 19.7M (2025). World rank 66 of 216; in Africa, 24 of 54. Area: 637,657 km². World rank 43 of 249; in Africa, 18 of 59. Life expectancy: 59 years (2024). World rank 211 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 49 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 13.8M → 19.7M, GDP $6.2B → $13B, and GDP per person $446 → $661. Worse than all its neighbours (Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Federal Republic of Somalia
- Local name
- الصومال
- Capital
- Mogadishu
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Federal parliamentary republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
- Head of government
- Hamza Abdi Barre
- Independence
- July 1, 1960
- Women in parliament
- 19% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 19,654,739 2025
- Area
- 637,657 km²
- GDP
- $13B 2025
- GDP per person
- $661 2025
- Life expectancy
- 59 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Arabic, Somali
- Currency
- Somali Shilling (SOS)
- Time zones
- UTC+3
- Calling code
- +252
- Emergency numbers
- 555, 888, 999
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 3,025
- Neighbours
- Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya
- Agricultural land
- 70.3% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Shimbiris, 2,460 m
- Lowest point
- Indian Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 410
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 27
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 29°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- August, 26°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 282 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 30.8 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +3.3% 2025
- Living in cities
- 55.1% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +12.1K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.4% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 46.5% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 50.8% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 2.6% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 61.6 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 56.5 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 6 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 42.4 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 9.7 2024
Society
- Religions
- Muslim 99.9% (2020)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 22.9 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 13.9 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 13.3 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 26.2 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 28.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $1,643 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +3% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $640 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 32 2017
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 55.8% 1990
- Industry, share of GDP
- 9.7% 1986
- Unemployment
- 19% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 34.2% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 20.7% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 29.3% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 98.8% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +6.4% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 3% 1983
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 2.2% 2024
Education
- Adult literacy
- 54.1% 2022
- Primary school enrolment
- 20.9% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 3.4% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 2.4% 1987
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 0% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 3.7% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $22 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 30.8% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.1 2014
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 0.3 2014
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 0.9 2019
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 64% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 65.4 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 101 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 563 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.1% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 5.8% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 34.9% 2022
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 75.3% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 44.5% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 5% 2024
Safety
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 27.4 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 8 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 27.6 2025
- Natural hazards
- floods, droughts, and dust and sand storms
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 18.5 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.1 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.8 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 7.8% 2024
- Protected areas
- 0% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 337 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 24.5% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 27.9% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 54 2023
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.7 2023
- Internet domain
- .so
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 54.4% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 95.4% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 11.2% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 88.8% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 34,066 2019
- Airports
- 40 2025
Science and innovation
- Scientific articles per year
- 152 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 1984