Somalia Population
Somalia had an estimated population of 19,654,739 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 66th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.24% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +3.34% a year.
Somalia at a glance
How Somalia's population is changing
Somalia's population is growing fast: +3.34% a year, which works out to about +656,429 people per year, or +1,797 a day. Births (42.3 per 1,000) and deaths (9.7 per 1,000) alone would give +3.26% a year; net migration adds about 12,077 people a year (+0.06%). Roughly one in every 418 people on Earth lives in Somalia.
Population of Somalia since 1960
In 1960, Somalia had 2,876,331 people. By 2025 that was 19,654,739 — 6.8× larger. The fastest growth came between 1977 and 1987, when the population rose by 61%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,876,331 | — |
| 1970 | 3,738,448 | +30.0% |
| 1980 | 5,936,154 | +58.8% |
| 1990 | 7,082,811 | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 8,838,713 | +24.8% |
| 2010 | 12,261,756 | +38.7% |
| 2020 | 16,651,191 | +35.8% |
| 2025 | 19,654,739 | +18.0% |
Somalia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Somalia at about 988,951 people in 1800; the UN estimates 19,654,743 in 2025 (20× 1800) and projects 67,364,025 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 243% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 988,951 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,464,409 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 1,520,159 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 2,213,139 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 8,838,714 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 19,654,743 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 37,206,509 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 55,346,360 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 67,364,025 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Somalia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 19,654,739. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mogadishu | 4,399,430 | UN urban centre | 22.38% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Hargeysa | 477,876 | GeoNames settlement | 2.43% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Kismayo | 461,302 | UN urban centre | 2.35% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Burao | 427,013 | UN urban centre | 2.17% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Baidoa | 420,281 | UN urban centre | 2.14% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Borama | 363,753 | UN urban centre | 1.85% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Beledweyne | 291,630 | UN urban centre | 1.48% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Bosaso | 232,410 | UN urban centre | 1.18% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Marka | 230,100 | GeoNames settlement | 1.17% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | El Dibir | 200,000 | GeoNames settlement | 1.02% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Somalia compares
Somalia has almost the same population as Chile (19,859,921).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Somalia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #64 |  Kazakhstan | 20,843,754 | +6% | compare → |
| #65 |  Chile | 19,859,921 | +1% | compare → |
| #67 |  Romania | 19,020,271 | −3% | compare → |
| #68 |  Senegal | 18,931,966 | −4% | compare → |
Compare Somalia with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Somalia
Land neighbours (2)
Ethiopia 135,472,051 · 6.9× the population · compare
Kenya 57,532,493 · 2.9× the population · compare
Somalia's 2 neighbours together hold 193,004,544 people — 9.8× Somalia's population. The most populous is Ethiopia (135,472,051).
In its region
Somalia is the 21st most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 1.5% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings featuring Somalia
- Fastest-growing countries #8
- Highest birth rates #3
- Highest fertility rates #2
- Youngest populations (share aged 0–14) #2
Cities
Mogadishu, Hargeysa, Kismayo, Burao, Baidoa, Borama, Beledweyne, Bosaso — all Somalia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Somalia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.