AFRICA · COUNTRY REFERENCE
Somalia
Written and compiled by American Business Capital Group Inc.
Selected country or entityMap: Natural Earth ↗
ANNUAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT
Population & economic scale
The most recent non-empty observations returned by the World Bank when this snapshot was collected. Read the year on each card: these are annual statistics, not live measurements.
World Bank reporting entity: Somalia, Fed. Rep. · 3 of 3 indicators available.
Population
19,654,739
people
observation
Definition, value & source
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.
Received value: 19654739 people. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wpp/, publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), uri: https://unstats.un.org/home/nso_sites/, publisher: National Statistical Offices; Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT), uri: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database?node_code=earn_ses_monthly, publisher: Eurostat; Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United Nations (UN), uri: https://unstats.un.org, publisher: UN Statistics Division
GDP
$13 billion
current US$
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 12995200000.2658 current US$. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP per capita
$661
current US$ per person
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 661.173877723116 current US$ per person. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP and GDP per capita use current US dollars, without an inflation or purchasing-power-parity adjustment. Source years can differ. Missing data is not zero; earlier archive figures below are retained as a separate historical reference.
THE REFERENCE FILE
Somalia at a glance
These are historical reference facts from the 2025 World Factbook archive. Each estimate keeps its own period; an archive edition does not make every figure a measurement from that year.
Population
total: 20,324,160 (2025 est.) male: 10,170,863 female: 10,153,297
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$26.77 billion (2024 est.) $25.747 billion (2023 est.) $24.706 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$12.109 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Real GDP growth rate
4% (2024 est.) 4.2% (2023 est.) 2.7% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per capita
$1,400 (2024 est.) $1,400 (2023 est.) $1,400 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
6.8% (2022 est.) 4.6% (2021 est.) 4.3% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Unemployment rate
18.9% (2024 est.) 19% (2023 est.) 19.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Labor force
3.439 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Exports
$2.424 billion (2024 est.) $2.164 billion (2023 est.) $1.804 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports
$9.002 billion (2024 est.) $8.002 billion (2023 est.) $7.456 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Debt - external
$2.563 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 48.9% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 76.7% electrification - rural areas: 30.6%
Internet users
percent of population: 28% (2022 est.)
THE HISTORICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY
Explore the country in detail
Browse the economy, population, resources and infrastructure. These archived descriptions keep their original wording and dates; they have not been updated to describe current conditions.
30 of 30 sections
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Capital
name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 20 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name is probably derived from the Arabic word mukaddas , meaning "holy"
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Economic overview
low-income African Horn economy; 30 years of war and instability crippled economic potential; high remittances for basic survival; new fiscal federalism approach; cleared some unsustainable debt; environmentally fragile; digitally driven urbanization efforts
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural resources
uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Agricultural products
camel milk, milk, goat milk, sheep milk, sugarcane, fruits, sorghum, cassava, vegetables, maize (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Industries
light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - partners
UAE 35%, Saudi Arabia 27%, Oman 18%, Djibouti 8%, India 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - commodities
sheep and goats, gold, postage stamps/documents, other animals, cattle (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - partners
UAE 29%, China 19%, India 15%, Turkey 8%, Oman 5% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - commodities
raw sugar, tobacco, broadcasting equipment, rice, milk (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Terrain
mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Land use
agricultural land: 70.3% (2023 est.) arable land: 1.8% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 68.5% (2023 est.) forest: 7.9% (2023 est.) other: 21.7% (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural hazards
recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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.
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Religions
Muslim 99.9% (Sunni Muslim 98.1%, Shia Muslim 1.2%, Islamic schismatic 0.6%), ethnic religionist 0.1% (2020 est.)
2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Urbanization
urban population: 47.9% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
2023, 2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 56.5 years (2024 est.) male: 54.1 years female: 59 years
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Literacy
total population: 54.1% (2022 est.) male: 64.5% (2022 est.) female: 43.9% (2022 est.)
2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 156,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 396.792 million kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 15.408 million kWh (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 82.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 16% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) wind: 1.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 6,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural gas
proven reserves: 5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Carbon dioxide emissions
838,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 10 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 838,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 9.91 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 54 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 119,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.)
2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Airports
40 (2025)
2025 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Ports
total ports: 6 (2024) large: 1 medium: 0 small: 2 very small: 3 ports with oil terminals: 2 key ports: Baraawe, Berbera, Boosaaso, Kismaayo, Marka, Muqdisho
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Remittances
15.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 17% of GDP (2022 est.) 18.3% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
2023, 2022, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
CURRENCY OBSERVATIONS
Money & exchange rates
The latest verified daily references are separate from the historical country profile. Values are currency units per US$1.
Somali Shilling
SOS per US$1
Published reference snapshot; its original observation date is preserved.
1 SOS = US$0.001747946
570.66–573.7 SOS per US$1 across the displayed observations. The vertical scale follows this range.
View dated observations
| Observation date | SOS per US$1 |
|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | 572.1 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 572.75 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 572.98 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 573.48 |
| Oct 1, 2026 | 572.81 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 571.21 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | 572.27 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 572.41 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 572.47 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 572.8 |
| Sep 24, 2026 | 573.7 |
| Sep 23, 2026 | 571.58 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 571.9 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 572.16 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 572.78 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 573.38 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | 573.4 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 571.12 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 572.5 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 572.78 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 572.05 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 572.29 |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 571.45 |
| Sep 9, 2026 | 571.68 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 570.89 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 570.66 |
Daily references are not live execution prices. A check time does not change a source observation date.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Stock exchanges
No venue from our curated stock exchange directory is listed for this entity.
Browse the worldwide directory →Exchange directory coverage is curated and does not establish that an entity has no other trading venues.
CONTINUE YOUR RESEARCH
Official data & country reports
Research directories have their own coverage. A link is not a claim that every entity has an IMF report or a separate national statistical office.
SOURCES & DATES
Where the facts come from.
Editorial presentation by American Business Capital Group Inc. The organizations and archive links below are the underlying sources.
- Country reference
- CIA World Factbook · 2025 archive
- Archive retrieved
- Oct 6, 2026 · retrieval date, not an observation period
- Currency associations
- SIX / ISO 4217 currency registry ↗
- Rate observations
- Frankfurter / official reference providers ↗ · each observation is dated separately
- State classification
- UN member states ↗ · UN observer states ↗
- UN membership is shown separately from territory and currency coverage; inclusion is not a position on sovereignty or boundaries.
- CIA World Factbook text preserved by World Factbook Archive. Archive edition 2025; individual estimates retain their own dates. These are historical reference facts, not current observations.
About the editions. The CIA announced the end of its online World Factbook on February 4, 2026. Our historical profiles retain the archive editions shown above.
Skyhorse lists The CIA World Factbook 2026–2027, published April 7, 2026 (ISBN 9781510786042). That book’s full text has not been incorporated here; its edition title does not redate the imported archive. Archive distribution license.
Geography is a simplified reference. Displayed boundaries and entity inclusion do not express a position on sovereignty or disputed borders.