# Women in Somalia's economy > Facts and figures on women in Somalia's economy: business ownership, work, school, bank accounts, savings groups and cash payments, all from official surveys. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/economy/women-in-the-economy/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## The short version The government's household survey found that women own more household businesses than men and take more of the decisions about how the money is used. The same survey found women less likely than men to have a job, to have finished school or to hold a bank account ([SNBS, SIHBS 2022](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY.pdf)). Many women save and borrow through savings groups they run themselves ([Al Jazeera, 8 April 2022](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/4/8/ayuuto-the-somali-female-social-lending-manual-on-braving-crisis)). ## Who owns household businesses From the [Somali National Bureau of Statistics, Integrated Household Budget Survey (SIHBS) 2022](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY.pdf), chapter 8: - Only **15.8 percent** of households ran a business of their own in the past 12 months. - Of businesses with one owner, **56.7 percent are owned by women** and **35.4 percent by men**. Another **7.9 percent** are owned jointly by a woman and a man. - Women own more in towns and in farming areas. Among nomadic households ownership is almost equal: **44.2 percent women, 44.1 percent men**. - Women decide how business earnings are used in **54.9 percent** of cases, against **32.1 percent** for men. They manage the business in **56.6 percent** of cases. - The most common household businesses are trading on a street or in a market (**37.2 percent**) and small shops and workshops (**23.4 percent**). ## Work and jobs From the same survey ([SIHBS 2022](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY.pdf), chapter 7), for people aged 15 and over: | | Women | Men | |---|---|---| | In work | 12.2% | 32.9% | | In work or looking for work | 15.4% | 39.9% | | Unemployed (of those looking) | 20.6% | 14.3% | | Young people unemployed | 32.0% | 29.0% | Women are more likely than men to work in basic, low-skill jobs (16.0 percent of employed women). For where jobs are posted, see [Where jobs in Somalia are advertised](/en/economy/jobs-in-somalia/). ## School and bank accounts - **69.9 percent** of women and girls aged 6 and over have had no formal schooling, against **60.6 percent** of men and boys. In nomadic areas the figure for women is **93.5 percent** ([SIHBS 2022](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY.pdf)). - Only **3.1 percent** of women have finished secondary school and **2.7 percent** have higher education ([SIHBS 2022](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY.pdf)). - Only **8.8 percent** of all adults own a bank account: 10.3 percent in towns, 2.0 percent among nomads. Ownership rises to 27.6 percent for people with higher education ([SIHBS 2022](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY.pdf)). Most people pay by phone instead; see [Mobile money in Somalia](/en/economy/mobile-money/). ## Savings groups: ayuuto and hagbad **Ayuuto**, also called **hagbad**, is "an interest-free rotating savings scheme based on mutual trust" ([Al Jazeera, 8 April 2022](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/4/8/ayuuto-the-somali-female-social-lending-manual-on-braving-crisis)). Members pay a fixed sum into a pot at each meeting and one member takes the whole pot in turn. In one Mogadishu group described by Al Jazeera, 10 women each paid $10 a month. Members also borrow from the pot in a crisis, and women use the payouts to buy food or start small businesses such as selling milk or firewood. The groups have no written contract or legal protection, so money can be lost if the keeper disappears or dies ([Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/4/8/ayuuto-the-somali-female-social-lending-manual-on-braving-crisis)). Aid groups have built on them. In [Mudug](/en/regions/mudug/), 22 women in Docol each saved $1 a week and, with a cash grant, opened a clothing and shoe shop ([International Rescue Committee, 2026](https://www.rescue.org/uk/article/you-dont-save-alone-meet-ayuuto-savings-collectives)). The same practice is widespread in the diaspora ([Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/4/8/ayuuto-the-somali-female-social-lending-manual-on-braving-crisis)). ## Cash payments go to women Under **Baxnaano**, the government's cash safety net, women were **100 percent** of direct recipients of the regular payments ([World Bank, 2022](https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2022/10/10/developing-a-state-led-social-safety-net-system-to-boost-human-capital-and-build-resilience-in-somalia-the-baxnaano-prog)). The follow-on BOOST-You project, approved in October 2025, aims to create 28,000 jobs for young people by 2029, **16,800 of them for women** ([World Bank, 28 October 2025](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/10/28/over-738000-somalis-to-benefit-from-world-bank-supported-initiative-for-jobs-social-protection-and-climate-resilience)). See [Baxnaano, the cash safety net](/en/economy/baxnaano-safety-net/). ## Women in decision-making Somalia has a **30 percent** quota for women's seats, and the national plan to 2029 commits to "ensuring the 30% women's quota" ([Ministry of Planning, NTP Executive Summary](https://mop.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/NTP-Executive-Summary.pdf)). See [The National Transformation Plan](/en/economy/national-transformation-plan/). ## Sources disagree Figures for women's share of seats in Parliament differ: - UN Women says the share "dropped from 24 to 20%" in the 2022 elections ([UN Women Somalia](https://open.unwomen.org/our-reach/SO/XM-DAC-41146-SOM_D_2.1)). - The Ministry of Planning gives **12.33 percent** and aims to raise it to 30 percent ([NTP Executive Summary](https://mop.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/NTP-Executive-Summary.pdf)). ## Where the numbers come from Almost all figures here come from SIHBS 2022, a national household survey by the Somali National Bureau of Statistics. --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.