Somalia Flag

Somalia

Population

20,509,420

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
66th
Share of world
0.24%
Annual change
+651,1683.29%

Population of Somalia

050M100M150M200M250M202620.5M2050 projection37.2M↑ 81% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 20,509,420. 2050 projection: 37,206,512.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Somalia. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202620,305,9073.29%66
202519,654,7393.37%67
202016,651,1913.87%73
201916,030,9713.74%73
201815,452,4873.59%73
201714,916,6293.96%73
201513,806,9632.40%74
201012,261,7562.87%74
200510,644,2283.79%75
20008,838,7133.94%82

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Mogadishu is home to 3,307,421 people, 16.29% of Somalia's population.

City population3M1M500K
Mogadishu 3.3MNorthwest 2.5MBay 1.5MAwdal 1.4MTogdheer 1.4MBari 1.3MLower Shabelle 1.2MMudug 1.1MLower Juba 898.1KSool 877.8K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Mogadishu3.3M16.29%
2Northwest2.5M12.19%
3Bay1.5M7.24%
4Awdal1.4M7.06%
5Togdheer1.4M6.73%
6Bari1.3M6.64%
7Lower Shabelle1.2M6.12%
8Mudug1.1M5.53%
9Lower Juba898.1K4.42%
10Sool877.8K4.32%

Somalia by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Somalia is home to an estimated 20,509,420 people, the 66th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Somalia has a net population change of approximately 1,801 people per day, driven by 2,290 births, 531 deaths, and net immigration of 42 people.
Share of world
Somalia makes up 0.24% of the world's population and 1.28% of Africa's.
Density
32.4 people per km² of land (83.8 per mi²), ranking 182nd among countries and territories.
Urban living
55.14% of people live in urban areas.

Somalia Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 4100+ years, female: 1695–99 years, male: 10295–99 years, female: 24390–94 years, male: 1,03590–94 years, female: 1,90285–89 years, male: 5,28085–89 years, female: 8,35180–84 years, male: 15,98480–84 years, female: 22,30575–79 years, male: 39,20475–79 years, female: 50,36970–74 years, male: 72,19070–74 years, female: 88,16165–69 years, male: 106,12065–69 years, female: 125,07660–64 years, male: 144,03560–64 years, female: 164,60355–59 years, male: 188,21555–59 years, female: 207,67650–54 years, male: 242,89750–54 years, female: 256,84845–49 years, male: 317,21845–49 years, female: 328,34240–44 years, male: 403,17140–44 years, female: 413,58935–39 years, male: 466,86435–39 years, female: 472,26330–34 years, male: 615,33730–34 years, female: 620,15525–29 years, male: 777,73025–29 years, female: 776,34020–24 years, male: 915,18320–24 years, female: 904,15115–19 years, male: 1,067,32515–19 years, female: 1,040,48210–14 years, male: 1,340,17710–14 years, female: 1,306,6005–9 years, male: 1,588,0975–9 years, female: 1,543,8480–4 years, male: 1,863,6140–4 years, female: 1,804,817100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4500K500K1M1M1.5M1.5M

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

16.6 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

59.3 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

50.08%

Female

49.92%

Life expectancy 56.8Life expectancy 61.9

Ethnicity

85%

Somali

  • Somali85%
  • Bantu and Other non-Somali15%
Data notes

Source estimate: est.

Bantu and Other non-Somali: including 30,000 Arabs

Religion

99.9%

Sunni Muslim (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter), the largest religion

  • Sunni Muslim (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter)99.9%
  • Other0.1%
Data notes

Source estimate: est.

Sunni Muslim (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter): nearly 100%

Other: includes Christian

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Somalia United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. Directorate of National Statistics
  5. Directorate of National Statistics