Statistics Somalia 
Somalia in the World
Somalia - Introduction 2016
top of pageBackground: Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969 a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule characterized by the persecution jailing and torture of political opponents and dissidents. After the regime's collapse early in 1991 Somalia descended into turmoil factional fighting and anarchy. In May 1991 northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal Woqooyi Galbeed Togdheer Sanaag and Sool. Although not recognized by any government this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy including holding municipal parliamentary and presidential elections. The regions of Bari Nugaal and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring semi-autonomous state of Puntland which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims the regions of Sool and Sanaag and portions of Togdheer. Beginning in 1993 a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in south-central Somalia) was able to alleviate famine conditions but when the UN withdrew in 1995 having suffered significant casualties order still had not been restored. In 2000 the Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim government known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) led a subsequent peace process that concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of a second interim government known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a 275-member parliamentary body known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while United Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January 2009 following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government Ethiopian military forces which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union (ICU) withdrew from the country. The TFP was doubled in size to 550 seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed the former ICU and ARS chairman as president in January 2009. The creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) which outlined a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. In 2009 the TFP amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011 and in 2011 Somali principals agreed to institute political transition by August 2012. The transition process ended in September 2012 when clan elders replaced the TFP by appointing 275 members to a new parliament who subsequently elected a new president.
Area
Total: 637,657 km²
Land: 627,337 km²
Water: 10,320 km²
Rank: 44
Comparative: almost five times the size of Alabama; slightly smaller than Texas
Climate: principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February) moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October) torrid in the north and hot in the south irregular rainfall hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
Elevation
Mean elevation: 410 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m: highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m
Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore tin gypsum bauxite copper salt natural gas likely oil reserves
Land use
Agricultural land: 70.3%
arable land: 1.8%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pasture: 68.5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pasture: 68.5%
Forest: 10.6%
Other: 19.1%
Natural hazards: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season
Geography
Note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal
Somalia - People 2016
top of pagePopulation: 10,817,354
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
Rank: 84
Growth rate: 1.92% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 51
Below poverty line: NA%
Languages: Somali (official) Arabic (official according to the Transitional Federal Charter) Italian English
Demographic profile:
Somalia scores very low for most humanitarian indicators suffering from poor governance protracted internal conflict underdevelopment economic decline poverty social and gender inequality and environmental degradation. Despite civil war and famine raising its mortality rate Somalia’s high fertility rate and large proportion of people of reproductive age maintain rapid population growth with each generation being larger than the prior one. More than 60% of Somalia’s population is younger than 25 and the fertility rate is among the world’s highest at almost 6 children per woman – a rate that has decreased little since the 1970s.
A lack of educational and job opportunities is a major source of tension for Somalia’s large youth cohort making them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and pirate groups. Somalia has one of the world’s lowest primary school enrollment rates – just over 40% of children are in school – and one of world’s highest youth unemployment rates. Life expectancy is low as a result of high infant and maternal mortality rates the spread of preventable diseases poor sanitation chronic malnutrition and inadequate health services.
During the two decades of conflict that followed the fall of the SIAD regime in 1991 hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes. Today Somalia is the world’s third highest source country for refugees after Syria and Afghanistan. Insecurity drought floods food shortages and a lack of economic opportunities are the driving factors.
As of 2016 more than 1.1 million Somali refugees were hosted in the region mainly in Kenya Yemen Egypt Ethiopia Djibouti and Uganda while more than 1.1 million Somalis were internally displaced. Since the implementation of a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement among Kenya Somalia and the UNHCR in 2013 more than 24,000 Somali refugees have returned home from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp – home to more than 300,000 Somalis. The flow has sped up rapidly since May 2016 when the Kenyan Government announced its intention to close the camp worsening security and humanitarian conditions in receiving communities in south-central Somalia. Despite the conflict in Yemen thousands of Somalis and other refugees and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen and beyond (often Saudi Arabia). Bossaso in Puntland overtook Obock Djibouti as the primary departure point in mid-2014.
A lack of educational and job opportunities is a major source of tension for Somalia’s large youth cohort making them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and pirate groups. Somalia has one of the world’s lowest primary school enrollment rates – just over 40% of children are in school – and one of world’s highest youth unemployment rates. Life expectancy is low as a result of high infant and maternal mortality rates the spread of preventable diseases poor sanitation chronic malnutrition and inadequate health services.
During the two decades of conflict that followed the fall of the SIAD regime in 1991 hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes. Today Somalia is the world’s third highest source country for refugees after Syria and Afghanistan. Insecurity drought floods food shortages and a lack of economic opportunities are the driving factors.
As of 2016 more than 1.1 million Somali refugees were hosted in the region mainly in Kenya Yemen Egypt Ethiopia Djibouti and Uganda while more than 1.1 million Somalis were internally displaced. Since the implementation of a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement among Kenya Somalia and the UNHCR in 2013 more than 24,000 Somali refugees have returned home from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp – home to more than 300,000 Somalis. The flow has sped up rapidly since May 2016 when the Kenyan Government announced its intention to close the camp worsening security and humanitarian conditions in receiving communities in south-central Somalia. Despite the conflict in Yemen thousands of Somalis and other refugees and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen and beyond (often Saudi Arabia). Bossaso in Puntland overtook Obock Djibouti as the primary departure point in mid-2014.
Age structure
0-14 years: 43.42%
15-24 years: 18.87%
25-54 years: 31.47%
55-64 years: 4.02%
65 years and over: 2.22% (2016 est.)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 98.1%
Youth dependency ratio: 92.5%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.6%
Potential support ratio: 17.9%
Urbanization
Urban population: 39.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4.06% annual rate of change
Environment
Current issues: famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Desertification Endangered Species Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1 male/female
15-24 years: 1.02 male/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female
Infant mortality rate
Total: 96.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 105.2 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 87.7 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 3
Drinking water source:
urban: 69.6% of population
rural: 8.8% of population
total: 31.7% of population
urban: 30.4% of population
rural: 91.2% of population
total: 68.3% of population (2011 est.)
rural: 8.8% of population
total: 31.7% of population
urban: 30.4% of population
rural: 91.2% of population
total: 68.3% of population (2011 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
urban: 52% of population
rural: 6.3% of population
total: 23.6% of population
urban: 48% of population
rural: 93.7% of population
total: 76.4% of population (2011 est.)
rural: 6.3% of population
total: 23.6% of population
urban: 48% of population
rural: 93.7% of population
total: 76.4% of population (2011 est.)
Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 63
People living with hivaids: 30,200 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 65
Deaths: 2000 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 54
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and E and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever malaria and Rift Valley fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies
Somalia - Government 2016
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Federal Republic of Somalia
Conventional short form: Somalia
Local long form: Jamhuuriyadda Federaalkaa Soomaaliya
Local short form: Soomaaliya
Former: Somali Republic Somali Democratic Republic
Etymology: 'Land of the Somali'
Administrative divisions: 18 regions (plural - NA singular - gobolka); Awdal Bakool Banaadir Bari Bay Galguduud Gedo Hiiraan Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Jubba) Jubbada Hoose (Lower Jubba) Mudug Nugaal Sanaag Shabeellaha Dhexe (Middle Shabeelle) Shabeellaha Hoose (Lower Shabeelle) Sool Togdheer Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland that became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960 and Italian Somaliland that became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic)
National holiday: Foundation of the Somali Republic 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland
Constitution: previous 1961 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012 approved 1 August 2012 (provisional) (2016)
International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Somalia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years
Executive branch
Chief of state: President HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud
Head of government: Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali SHARMARKE ; Deputy Prime Minister Mohamad Omar ARTEH (since 6 February 2015)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister approved by the National Parliament
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament by two-thirds majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term; election last held on 10 September 2012 ; prime minister appointed by the president approved by the Federal Parliament
Election results: HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud elected president; Federal Parliament second round vote - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 190 Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed (ARS) 79; Omar Abdirashid Ali SHARMARKE approved as prime minister; Federal Parliament vote - 218 for approval none against (6 members not present for vote)
Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Parliament or Golaha Shacabka Soomaaliya consists of the House of the People
Note: the inaugural House of the People was appointed in September 2012 by clan elders; elections scheduled for 23 October to 10 November 2016 the National Parliament will become bicameral with the formation of an upper house that will consist of 54 seats with members indirectly elected by regional governing councils to serve 4-year terms; composition of lower house NA
Judicial branch
Highest court: the provisional constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court ; note - under the terms of the 2004 Transitional National Charter a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and an Appeal Court were established; yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution either secular traditional Somali customary law or sharia Islamic law
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president upon proposal of the Judicial Service Commission a 9-member judicial and administrative body; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: federal- and federal member state-level courts; military courts; sharia Islamic courts
International organization participation: ACP AfDB AFESD AMF AU CAEU (candidate) FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITSO ITU LAS NAM OIC OPCW OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UPU WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO
Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ahmed Issa AWAD
In the us chancery: 425 East 61st Street Suite 702 New York City NY 10,021
In the us telephone: [1] 688-9,410 688-5,046
In the us FAX: [1] 759-0651
From the us: the US Mission to Somalia operating out of the US Embassy in Nairobi Kenya is headed by Ambassador Stephen M. SCHWARTZ (since 9 August 2016)
Flag description: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; the blue field was originally influenced by the flag of the UN but today is said to denote the sky and the neighboring Indian Ocean; the five points of the star represent the five regions in the horn of Africa that are inhabited by Somali people: the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland (which together make up Somalia) Djibouti Ogaden (Ethiopia) and the North East Province (Kenya)
National anthem
Name: 'Qolobaa Calankeed'
Lyrics and music: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE
Note: adopted 2012; written in 1959
Somalia - Economy 2016
top of pageEconomy overview:
Despite the lack of effective national governance Somalia maintains an informal economy largely based on livestock remittance/money transfer companies and telecommunications. Somalia's government lacks the ability to collect domestic revenue and external debt – mostly in arrears – was estimated at 93% of GDP in 2014.
Agriculture is the most important sector with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood make up a large portion of the population. Economic activity is estimated to have increased by 3.7% in 2014 because of growth in the agriculture construction and telecommunications sector. Somalia's small industrial sector based on the processing of agricultural products has largely been looted and the machinery sold as scrap metal.
In recent years Somalia's capital city Mogadishu has witnessed the development of the city's first gas stations supermarkets and airline flights to Turkey since the collapse of central authority in 1991. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Economic growth has yet to expand outside of Mogadishu and within the city security concerns dominate business. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector money transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually although international concerns over the money transfers into Somalia continues to threaten these services.
Agriculture is the most important sector with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood make up a large portion of the population. Economic activity is estimated to have increased by 3.7% in 2014 because of growth in the agriculture construction and telecommunications sector. Somalia's small industrial sector based on the processing of agricultural products has largely been looted and the machinery sold as scrap metal.
In recent years Somalia's capital city Mogadishu has witnessed the development of the city's first gas stations supermarkets and airline flights to Turkey since the collapse of central authority in 1991. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Economic growth has yet to expand outside of Mogadishu and within the city security concerns dominate business. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector money transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually although international concerns over the money transfers into Somalia continues to threaten these services.
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$4.431 billion (2014 est.)
$4.186 billion (2013 est.)
$5.607 billion (2008 est.)
$4.186 billion (2013 est.)
$5.607 billion (2008 est.)
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars
Rank: 177
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 72.1%
Government consumption: 8.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 19.8%
Investment in inventories: 0.8%
Exports of goods and services: 0.3%
Imports of goods and services: -1.7%
Agriculture products: bananas sorghum corn coconuts rice sugarcane mangoes sesame seeds beans; cattle sheep goats; fish
Labor force: 3.109 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 102
By occupation agriculture: 71%
By occupation industry and services: 29%
Budget
Revenues: $145.3 million
Expenditures: $151.1 million
Surplus or deficit: -0.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 41
Inflation rate consumer prices: -71.1% (2014 est.)
Note: businesses print their own money so inflation rates cannot be easily determined
Exports:
$819 million (2014 est.)
$779 million (2013 est.)
$779 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 164
Commodities: livestock bananas hides fish charcoal scrap metal
Partners: UAE 45.8% Yemen 19.7% Oman 15.9% (2015)
Imports:
$3.482 billion (2014 est.)
$3.322 billion (2013 est.)
$3.322 billion (2013 est.)
Rank: 136
Commodities: manufactures petroleum products foodstuffs construction materials qat
Partners: Djibouti 18.7% India 16.5% China 11.8% Oman 8.7% Kenya 6.1% Pakistan 4.4% (2015)
Somalia - Energy 2016
top of pageElectricity
Access population without electricity: 8,900,000
Access electrification total population: 15%
Access electrification urban areas: 33%
Access electrification rural areas: 4%
Production: 300 million kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 174
Consumption: 300 million kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 177
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 197
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 203
Installed generating capacity: 81,000 kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 179
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 27
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 182
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 203
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 128
Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 192
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 190
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 126
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 192
Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 132
Products consumption: 5,700 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 166
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 133
Products imports: 5,679 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 157
Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 129
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 194
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 182
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 134
Proven reserves: 5.663 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 91
Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 900,000 Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 170
Somalia - Communication 2016
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 51,000
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1
Fixed lines rank: 157
Mobile cellular total: 5.836 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 55
Mobile cellular rank: 113
Telephone system
General assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private companies offer limited local fixed-line service and private wireless companies offer service in most major cities while charging the lowest international rates on the continent
Domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers with one company beginning to provide 3G services in late 2012
International: country code - 252; Mogadishu is a landing point for the EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable system linking East Africa with Europe and North America
Broadcast media: 2 private TV stations rebroadcast Al-Jazeera and CNN; Somaliland has 1 government-operated TV station and Puntland has 1 private TV station; the transitional government operates Radio Mogadishu; 1 SW and roughly 10 private FM radio stations broadcast in Mogadishu; several radio stations operate in central and southern regions; Somaliland has 1 government-operated radio station; Puntland has roughly a half-dozen private radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)
Somalia - Military 2016
top of pageMilitary service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2012)
Somalia - Transportation 2016
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 251,652
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km
Airports: 61 (2013)
Rank: 81
With paved runways total: 6
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 55
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 20
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 23
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6
Somalia - Transnational issues 2016
top of pageDisputes international: Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; 'Somaliland' secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; 'Puntland' and 'Somaliland' 'governments' seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists
🅶🅷🅴🅾🆂.🅲🅾🅼