How many people live in Somalia? Population, ages and growth

How many people

The UN estimates Somalia's population at about 19.7 million in 2025 (UNFPA, World Population Dashboard). This UN figure covers the whole country, including Somaliland.

Somalia has had no national census since 1991. The first nationwide count since then was the Population Estimation Survey of 2014, run with UNFPA to prepare for a census, which found about 12.3 million people: 42 percent in towns, 23 percent in villages, 26 percent nomadic and 9 percent displaced (World Bank working paper, citing UNFPA PESS 2014; UN Somalia, PESS report). Nomads were counted at water points in the dry season (same sources).

Population by region, 2014 survey

The 2014 Population Estimation Survey counted 12,316,895 people in the 18 pre-war regions, split into towns, villages, nomads and camps for displaced people (UNFPA, Population Estimation Survey 2014, Table 2.1). Banaadir had the most people, about 13.4% of the total; Sool had the fewest. Banaadir has no rural or nomad count because it is all city. These are 2014 figures; the regions have grown since, and the region pages give newer estimates.

• Awdal. Towns: 287,821 Villages: 143,743 Nomads: 233,709 Displaced (camps): 7,990 Total: 673,263
• Woqooyi Galbeed. Towns: 802,740 Villages: 138,912 Nomads: 255,761 Displaced (camps): 44,590 Total: 1,242,003
• Togdheer. Towns: 483,724 Villages: 57,356 Nomads: 154,523 Displaced (camps): 25,760 Total: 721,363
• Sool. Towns: 120,993 Villages: 13,983 Nomads: 187,632 Displaced (camps): 4,820 Total: 327,428
• Sanaag. Towns: 159,717 Villages: 30,804 Nomads: 352,692 Displaced (camps): 910 Total: 544,123
• Bari. Towns: 471,785 Villages: 65,483 Nomads: 133,234 Displaced (camps): 49,010 Total: 719,512
• Nugaal. Towns: 138,929 Villages: 31,047 Nomads: 213,227 Displaced (camps): 9,495 Total: 392,698
• Mudug. Towns: 381,493 Villages: 79,752 Nomads: 185,736 Displaced (camps): 70,882 Total: 717,863
• Galgaduud. Towns: 183,553 Villages: 52,089 Nomads: 214,024 Displaced (camps): 119,768 Total: 569,434
• Hiiraan. Towns: 81,379 Villages: 135,537 Nomads: 252,609 Displaced (camps): 51,160 Total: 520,685
• Middle Shabelle. Towns: 114,348 Villages: 249,326 Nomads: 100,402 Displaced (camps): 51,960 Total: 516,036
• Banaadir. Towns: 1,280,939 Villages: – Nomads: – Displaced (camps): 369,288 Total: 1,650,227
• Lower Shabelle. Towns: 215,752 Villages: 723,682 Nomads: 159,815 Displaced (camps): 102,970 Total: 1,202,219
• Bay. Towns: 93,046 Villages: 463,330 Nomads: 195,986 Displaced (camps): 39,820 Total: 792,182
• Bakool. Towns: 61,928 Villages: 134,050 Nomads: 147,248 Displaced (camps): 24,000 Total: 367,226
• Gedo. Towns: 109,142 Villages: 177,742 Nomads: 144,793 Displaced (camps): 76,728 Total: 508,405
• Middle Juba. Towns: 56,242 Villages: 148,439 Nomads: 131,240 Displaced (camps): 27,000 Total: 362,921
• Lower Juba. Towns: 172,861 Villages: 161,512 Nomads: 124,334 Displaced (camps): 30,600 Total: 489,307
• All 18 regions. Total: 12,316,895

How it has grown

UN estimates of Somalia's population (UN World Population Prospects 2024, via Our World in Data):

• 1950: 2.2 million
• 1960: 2.9 million
• 1970: 3.7 million
• 1980: 5.9 million
• 1990: 7.1 million
• 2000: 8.8 million
• 2010: 12.3 million
• 2020: 16.7 million
• 2025: 19.7 million
• 2030 (projected): 22.9 million
• 2050 (projected): 37.2 million
• 2100 (projected): 67.4 million

The population has grown more than sixfold since independence and is set to almost double again by 2050.

A very young country

• Median age: about 15.6 years in 2025: half of all Somalis are younger (UN WPP 2024, via Our World in Data).
• Children: in 2023 about 8.6 million of the 18.4 million people were under 15, nearly half. About 9.3 million were aged 15 to 64, and fewer than half a million were 65 or older (UN WPP 2024, via Our World in Data).
• Births: women had about 6.1 children on average in 2023, down from 7.6 in 2000 (UN WPP 2024, via Our World in Data).
• Life expectancy: about 58.8 years in 2023, up from 48.9 in 2010 (UN WPP 2024, via Our World in Data).

Towns are growing fastest

About 55 percent of Somalis lived in towns and cities in 2025, up from 18 percent in 1960 and 39 percent in 2010 (UN, via Our World in Data). The World Bank notes that two thirds of poor Somalis now live in towns (World Bank blog, April 2025).

Why the numbers differ

• No recent census. All figures since 1991 are estimates or surveys.
• Nomads and displaced people move, which makes them hard to count.
• Different areas. Some counts cover the whole country, others only areas a survey team could reach.

So the UN estimate (19.7 million) and the 2014 survey (12.3 million) should not be read as growth of 7.4 million in eleven years. They use different methods.

What it means

Every year about 500,000 young people look for their first job (MENA Startup Digest, August 2026). A young and fast-growing population needs schools, health care and jobs, and is also a large future workforce. See Jobs, work and poverty.

Data file

Year-by-year figures from 1950 to 2023, with UN projections to 2100, are in population-somalia-1950-2100.csv. Columns: year, population, estimate or projection, median age, births per woman, life expectancy and urban share. Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024, via Our World in Data.