Somalia

Africa

10.00°, 49.00°

CapitalMogadishu

Population20,324,160

Area637,657 km²

GDP per capita$1,400

LanguagesSomali , Arabic , Italian, English

CurrencySomali shillings

Life Expectancy56.5 yr

Governmentfederal parliamentary republic

Introduction

Background

From A.D. 800 to 1100, waves of immigrant Muslim Arabs and Persians established trading posts along the coasts of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, reinforcing the trade connections that modern Somalia maintains with the Arabian Peninsula. In the late 19th century, colonial powers including Britain, France, and Italy took control of territories in the Somali Peninsula, a situation that persisted until 1960. That year, British Somaliland achieved independence and subsequently united with Italian Somaliland to create the Republic of Somalia.

The nation operated as a parliamentary democracy until 1969, when General Mohamed SIAD Barre seized power through a coup, initiating a 22-year period of socialist dictatorship. To consolidate his authority, SIAD sought to dismantle the clan system, which was a fundamental cultural and social framework within Somali society. Opposition to SIAD’s socialist rule, which led to a swift decline in the nation’s stability, culminated in the overthrow of his regime by allied clan militias in 1991, resulting in the disintegration of the state. Following this, clashes between rival clans over resources and land overwhelmed the nation, leading to a manmade famine and necessitating international intervention. Commencing in 1993, the United Nations led a humanitarian mission, but the global community largely withdrew by 1995 after the incident known as Black Hawk Down, where two US military helicopters were downed in Mogadishu. This conflict and the ensuing rescue operations resulted in 21 fatalities and 82 injuries among international forces.

Throughout the 2000s, international peace conferences yielded several transitional governments operating from outside Somalia. Meanwhile, Somalis within the country established alternative governance systems; some regions created their own administrations, such as Somaliland and Puntland, while others formed localized institutions. Numerous local communities began relying on sharia courts, a judicial system rooted in Islamic law. In 2006, several of these courts united to form the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which restored order to various parts of central and southern Somalia, including Mogadishu. However, military intervention by Ethiopia in 2006, in support of the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), forced the ICU to retreat to rural areas or exit Somalia entirely. Less than a year later, the organization resurfaced as the Islamic insurgent and terrorist group al-Shabaab, which remains active today.

In 2007, the African Union (AU) created a peacekeeping force, assumed security responsibilities for the nation, and allowed the TFG to develop a new governmental structure for Somalia. By 2012, Somali leaders reached consensus on a provisional constitution with a loosely federated structure and established a central government in Mogadishu known as the Somali Federal Government (SFG). Since then, the nation has experienced several interim regional administrations and three presidential elections; however, significant challenges in governance and security persist due to al-Shabaab's control over substantial areas of the country.

Geography

Area

land

627,337 sq km

water

10,320 sq km

total

637,657 sq km

Climate

largely arid; characterized by the northeast monsoon (December to February) which brings moderate temperatures in the northern regions and heat in the south; the southwest monsoon (May to October) results in scorching conditions in the north and warm weather in the south, with irregular precipitation and hot, humid intervals (tangambili) occurring between the monsoon seasons.

Terrain

predominantly flat to gently rolling plateau that ascends to hilly terrain in the northern area.

Land use

other

21.7% (2023 est.)

forest

7.9% (2023 est.)

agricultural land

70.3% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 1.8% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 68.5% (2023 est.)

Location

Located in Eastern Africa, adjacent to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, to the east of Ethiopia.

Coastline

3,025 km

Elevation

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point

Mount Shimbiris 2,460 m

mean elevation

410 m

Irrigated land

2,000 sq km (2012)

Major aquifers

Ogaden-Juba Basin

Map references

Africa

Land boundaries

total

2,385 km

border countries

Djibouti 61 km; Ethiopia 1,640 km; Kenya 684 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea

200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Natural hazards

experiences recurrent droughts; summer is marked by frequent dust storms across the eastern plains; the rainy season can lead to flooding.

Geography - note

holds a crucial position on the Horn of Africa, along the southern routes to Bab el Mandeb as well as the pathway through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Natural resources

contains uranium and largely untapped reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, and probable oil deposits.

Area - comparative

nearly five times larger than Alabama; slightly smaller than Texas.

Geographic coordinates

10 00 N, 49 00 E

Population distribution

population distribution is highly varied across the nation; the areas with the lowest density are found in the northeast and central regions, including regions along the Kenyan border; the most densely populated regions are around the urban centers of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa, as indicated on this population distribution map.

People & Society

Literacy

male

64.5% (2022 est.)

female

43.9% (2022 est.)

total population

54.1% (2022 est.)

Languages

Somali (official), Arabic (official), Italian, English

major-language sample(s)

Buugga Xaqiiqda Aduunka, waa laga maarmaanka macluumaadka assasiga. (Somali)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 99.9% (Sunni Muslim 98.1%, Shia Muslim 1.2%, Islamic schismatic 0.6%), ethnic religionist 0.1% (2020 estimate)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.04 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

65 years and over

0.76 male(s)/female

Birth rate

46.36 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

11.22 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Median age

male

19.3 years

total

15.7 years (2025 est.)

female

18.9 years

Population

male

10,170,863

total

20,324,160 (2025 est.)

female

10,153,297

Nationality

noun

Somali(s)

adjective

Somali

Urbanization

urban population

47.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years

41.4% (male 2,689,086/female 2,694,372)

15-64 years

55.8% (male 3,699,721/female 3,568,163)

65 years and over

2.8% (2024 est.) (male 157,505/female 208,426)

Ethnic groups

mainly Somali, with smaller communities of Arabs, Bantus, and others

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio

100.5 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

97.1 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

29.9 (2025 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

3.3 (2025 est.)

Physician density

0.05 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Health expenditure

2.5% of national budget (2022 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Hospital bed density

0.9 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.38 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 38.6% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 58.3% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 80.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 61.4% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 41.7% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 19.9% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

0% of GDP (2023 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

8.1% national budget (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

male

93.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total

81.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

female

73.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Population growth rate

3.32% (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

3.14 (2025 est.)

Population distribution

population distribution is highly variable across the nation; the northeast and central regions, as well as the areas bordering Kenya, are among the least populated; conversely, the most densely populated regions are around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa, as illustrated in this population distribution map

Life expectancy at birth

male

54.1 years

female

59 years

total population

56.5 years (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

563 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 34.8% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 57.6% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 82.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 65.2% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 42.4% of population (2022 est.)