Trade and ports
Livestock exports: Somalia's biggest earner
Live animals are Somalia's biggest export. In 2025 the country shipped more than 5.9 million sheep, goats, cattle and camels, worth $922.9 million and about 73 percent of all goods exports, according to the Central Bank. Most go to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE, and sales peak before the Hajj. Gulf import bans over Rift Valley fever have cut the trade several times since 1998.
The numbers
| Year | Value | Animals | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $860.8 million | The African Exponent, 29 July 2026, citing the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank | |
| 2024 | $950.9 million | More than 6.4 million: 5.9 million sheep and goats, 291,692 cattle and 212,616 camels | Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 (value); The African Exponent (animals) |
| 2025 | $922.9 million, down 3 percent | More than 5.9 million: over 5.5 million sheep and goats, 222,010 cattle and 193,013 camels | Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 |
In 2025 livestock made up about 73 percent of goods exports and about 7 percent of GDP. The Central Bank cites a national herd of about 56 million camels, cattle, sheep and goats, from the Ministry of Livestock's 2020 strategy (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
Buyers and the Hajj
- Where they go. Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are the main buyers. Sales follow the Hajj and Eid al-Adha (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
- The Hajj share. A 2020 study of Somaliland's markets says 70 percent of sheep and goat exports leave in the Hajj season, and that buying for the Hajj starts 45 to 60 days before Eid al-Adha. Oman and Yemen are the main buyers of cattle from Berbera (Musa, Wasonga and Mtimet, Pastoralism journal, 2020).
- Meat and skins. The African Exponent reports that, with meat, hides and skins added, 2024 exports passed $1 billion, citing the Somali Development and Reconstruction Bank (The African Exponent, 2026). The Central Bank says higher sales of meat, crops and fish made up most of the 2025 fall in live animals (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
The ports
- Berbera. Exports through Berbera stopped in 1988 when war reached the north and restarted in 1991. About half the sheep and goats shipped from Berbera come from the Somali region of Ethiopia (Pastoralism journal, 2020). DP World says more than 4.1 million animals pass through each year, according to The African Exponent (The African Exponent, 2026).
- The other ports: see Somalia's seaports.
The bans
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| To May 1999 | A 14-month Saudi ban over Rift Valley fever. Afterwards exports rose to 2.17 million sheep and goats by the end of 1999 | Pastoralism journal, 2020 |
| From 19 September 2000 | Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen and the UAE banned Somali animals over Rift Valley fever. The others lifted it after about a year; Saudi Arabia kept it until November 2009. Exports fell from about 2 million head to 50,000 by 2003, and trade moved to Djibouti | Pastoralism journal, 2020 |
| November 2009 | The Saudi ban ended after a Saudi investor set up a private quarantine station in Berbera to check animals before export | Pastoralism journal, 2020 |
| From December 2016 | A third Saudi ban, eased during the Hajj seasons | Pastoralism journal, 2020 |
Sources disagree
- The 2024 value. The Central Bank gives $950.9 million for 2024 (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025). The African Exponent gives $969.9 million (The African Exponent, 2026).
- The 2025 value. The same Central Bank report gives $922.9 million (down 3 percent) in its farming chapter and $823 million (down 10 percent) in its national accounts chapter, which values exports differently (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
For livestock exporters and other firms, see the farming, livestock and fishing directory and Berbera livestock quarantine companies. For all of Somalia's exports and imports, see Trade: exports and imports.
Sources
- The African Exponent, 29 July 2026, citing the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank · africanexponent.com
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
- Musa, Wasonga and Mtimet, Pastoralism journal, 2020 · link.springer.com
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Where this matters
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
- Burco (Burao) and TogdheerTogdheer is the northern region around Burco (Burao), with about 894,874 people including Buuhoodle.
- 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.
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
- Foreign companies in Somalia: who runs the port, the airport and other concessionsForeign companies working in Somalia: Albayrak at Mogadishu port, Favori at the airport, DP World and P&O Ports, Simatech, Ziraat Katilim, with contract terms and audited revenue.
- Galkayo and the Bosaso trade corridor: goods, companies and road taxesHow goods move from Bosaso port through Galkayo to central Somalia: what is traded, which companies import it, what each state charges per lorry and how much revenue the checkpoints raise.
- Trade across the Ethiopia–Somaliland border: Tog Wajaale, Jigjiga and the Gaashamo routesHow goods and livestock cross between Ethiopia's Somali Region and Somaliland: what moves, the Tog Wajaale crossing, customs posts since 2010, the Gaashamo micro-routes and what each checkpoint charges.
- Somalia's trade: exports and importsWhat Somalia exports and imports, in numbers: livestock, crops, fish, food and fuel imports, the trade gap, and trade blocs Somalia has joined.
- Somalia's seaports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Bosaso and KismayoSomalia's main seaports: who runs Mogadishu, Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo, the operator deals, the undersea cables that land there, and the 2026 dispute over UAE agreements.
- Port of Berbera (Dekada Berbera)The Port of Berbera in facts: its Soviet-era history, the DP World concession and shareholders, the 2021 container terminal, the economic zone and corridor to Ethiopia, measured effects, and the 2026 dispute.