Land, farming and livestock
Drought and livestock losses in Somalia
Drought is the biggest single killer of Somali herds. The FAO estimates the 2016/17 drought caused about 4 million extra animal deaths worth about USD 290 million, and cut the herd by a third, from 52.9 to 36.1 million, mostly through lost births. Total losses that year were nearly USD 1.3 billion, with USD 640 million more over the next five years. In the 2021 to 2023 drought, more than 3 million animals had died by mid-2022, according to reports at the time.
Why drought hits herds so hard
In a drought, animals die, but the bigger loss comes later. Weak animals miscarry or do not conceive, so fewer are born for a year or more. Cattle die first, then sheep and goats; camels hold out longest (FAO Statistics Working Paper 23-37, Otte and others, 2023).
The 2016/17 drought in numbers
All figures below are from the FAO study (FAO, 2023):
- About 4 million extra deaths, mostly sheep and goats, worth about USD 290 million.
- 14.8 million fewer births, mostly goats (10.5 million) and sheep (4 million).
- Together with fewer animals sold, the herd fell from 52.9 million to 36.1 million, down 32 percent. Sheep and goats fell by more than 30 percent, camels and cattle by less than 20 percent.
- Animals sold fell from 15.7 million in the year before the drought to 8.2 million in the year after.
- Losses in the drought year alone were nearly USD 1.3 billion, mostly from lost milk and lower sales. A further USD 640 million was lost over the next five years as herds rebuilt.
- 2.2 million people were displaced, and about 1 million gave up herding after selling their breeding animals to buy food.
Five years after the drought, goats had come closest to recovering; cattle were still 0.1 million (3 percent) below where they would have been (same source).
The 2021 to 2023 drought
In December 2021 FSNAU and FEWS NET reported livestock deaths in parts of Galgaduud, Mudug and Hiiraan on a scale like 2016/17 (FSNAU, Somalia Food Security Outlook, December 2021). In May 2022 they warned that livestock deaths would likely reach 10 to 30 percent of herds in the worst-hit areas by September (FEWS NET, May 2022).
By mid-2022 more than 3 million animals had died, Down to Earth reported as the FAO appealed for USD 131 million (Down to Earth, 2022).
Effects on markets
When herds are thin, markets close. Burao's livestock market shut for two months in 2016 because of drought and the poor condition of animals, leaving about 1,500 people who depend on it without work (Radio Ergo, 31 May 2016). See Burao livestock market.
Related pages
Sources
- FAO Statistics Working Paper 23-37, Otte and others, 2023 · doi.org
- FSNAU, Somalia Food Security Outlook, December 2021 · fsnau.org
- FEWS NET, May 2022 · fews.net
- Down to Earth, 2022 · downtoearth.org.in
- Radio Ergo, 31 May 2016 · radioergo.org
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Where this matters
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- Ceerigaabo (Erigavo) and SanaagSanaag is a region on the northern coast with Erigavo (Ceerigaabo) as its capital and about 446,000 people.
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
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- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Xuddur (Hudur) and BakoolBakool is a region in South West State, on the border with Ethiopia, with Xudur (Hudur) as its capital.
- Garbahaarrey (Garbaharey) and GedoGedo is the south-western region on the borders with Kenya and Ethiopia, with Garbahaarrey as its capital and about 1 million people.
Same era
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- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Pastoralism in Somalia: how herding worksSomali pastoralism in facts: how many people herd, what they earn, milk and meat, seasons and movement, herd splitting, risks from drought and disease, and the move to towns.
- How many livestock does Somalia have?Somalia's livestock in numbers: herd size by species, what the animals produce, how many die each year, exports, and why sources disagree.
- Camels in Somalia: the world's largest herdCamels in Somalia in facts: herd size, share of the world's camels, camel milk, exports to the Gulf, the 2016 to 2018 export fall at Berbera, and the first camel milk yoghurt factory.
- Blackheaded Somali sheep: the breed behind the livestock tradeThe Blackheaded Somali sheep: what it looks like, where it is kept, why it suits dry land, its role in exports through Berbera and Bosaso, and the breeds descended from it.
- Cattle in Somalia: Boran and the Somali breedsCattle in Somalia: numbers, where they are kept, the Boran breed and the Somali Boran, the large red cattle traded to Kenya, cattle exports and milk.
- The Somali goat: breed, milk and tradeThe Somali goat in facts: what it looks like, where it is kept, milk yield in drought, meat exports with sheep, and what DAD-IS records about the breed.