Demographics & population — Somalia
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Somalia: 11,757,124
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
11,757,124
- Population - note
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare
- Population Growth Rate
1.67%
- Urban Population
- Population in Major Urban Areas
MOGADISHU (capital) 1.554 million
Age & family
- Age Structure
- Median Age
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
41
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
14.22
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
6.17
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
14.6%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
14.6%
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
-10.55
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000)
- Language Note
Standard Somali with its diverse scripts based on clan affiliation, is now written in Latin script. Literacy has increased dramatically. English, Italian and Arabic are spoken by educated Somali. The Somali language stems from the Cushitic language family.
- Nationality Noun
Somali(s)
Education
- Literacy - total population
37.8%
- Literacy - male
49.7%
- Literacy - female
25.8%
- Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
1,000
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.04
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
very high
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
4.8%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
32.8%