Timeline
Deaths in armed conflict in Somalia by year, 1989–2026
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) records reported deaths from fighting in Somalia every year since 1989. Its best estimates peak at about 8,455 in 1991, when the government fell, and are lowest around 2000, at about 171. They rose again from 2006, reached about 2,983 in 2012, and reached about 4,175 in 2023, during the offensive against al-Shabaab, and 3,869 in 2025. The figures count combatants and civilians killed in fighting, not deaths from hunger or disease.
This page gives one consistent count of deaths from armed conflict in Somalia, year by year, so that different periods can be compared. It records the numbers as the source gives them, without drawing conclusions about who was responsible. Responsibility for particular attacks is covered on the pages for each force and group.
The source
The figures are the Uppsala Conflict Data Program's best estimates of deaths of combatants and civilians from fighting in all kinds of conflict: between states, between a government and armed groups, between armed groups, and attacks on civilians ("one-sided violence"). A conflict is counted when it causes at least 25 deaths in a year. Deaths from disease and famine caused by war are not included. The 2026 figure covers only the first half of the year and is based on quarterly reports, which can be underestimates (Our World in Data, "Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred", from UCDP 2026; Uppsala Conflict Data Program).
Year by year
| Year | Deaths | Year | Deaths | Year | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1,061 | 2002 | 624 | 2015 | 1,239 |
| 1990 | 2,700 | 2003 | 395 | 2016 | 2,055 |
| 1991 | 8,455 | 2004 | 656 | 2017 | 2,060 |
| 1992 | 4,729 | 2005 | 338 | 2018 | 2,432 |
| 1993 | 478 | 2006 | 1,187 | 2019 | 2,179 |
| 1994 | 625 | 2007 | 1,584 | 2020 | 2,091 |
| 1995 | 443 | 2008 | 1,731 | 2021 | 2,253 |
| 1996 | 939 | 2009 | 2,146 | 2022 | 3,100 |
| 1997 | 268 | 2010 | 2,697 | 2023 | 4,175 |
| 1998 | 312 | 2011 | 2,093 | 2024 | 2,400 |
| 1999 | 522 | 2012 | 2,983 | 2025 | 3,869 |
| 2000 | 171 | 2013 | 1,037 | 2026* | 3,031 |
| 2001 | 445 | 2014 | 1,225 |
* January to June 2026 only. (UCDP via Our World in Data.)
What each period covers
1969 to 1991
1989–1992
The war against the government of Siad Barre by the SNM, USC, SPM and others, its fall in January 1991 and the fighting that followed. See Armed movements, 1978–1991.
1991 to 2000
1993–2005
The UN intervention and years of fighting between factions such as the Somali National Alliance and the RRA. See Rebuilding, 1991–1999.
2000 to 2012
2006–2012
The Islamic Courts, the Ethiopian intervention, the insurgency led by al-Shabaab and the AMISOM campaign. See Foreign forces in Somalia.
2012 to 2020
2013–2021
War between al-Shabaab and the federal government and AU forces, and the rise in US air strikes from 2017.
2020 to now
2022–2026
The offensive against al-Shabaab with the Macawisley, fighting between federal and Jubaland forces, and Puntland's campaign against the Islamic State in Somalia.
Limits of the data
Reporting
UCDP's figures are best estimates built from reported events; deaths that are never reported cannot be counted, and the source warns that its latest quarterly figures can be underestimates (Our World in Data).
Other counts
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED) uses a different method, so its totals differ from UCDP's; Human Rights Watch and the UN also publish civilian casualty figures for particular years (Human Rights Watch, World Report 2024, Somalia).
By region
UCDP and ACLED also record the location of each event, but those breakdowns are not reproduced here.
Read the primary sources yourself
- Our World in Data, conflict deaths by country (from UCDP): chart and data.
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program: database.
Sources
- Our World in Data, "Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred", from UCDP 2026 · ourworldindata.org
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program · ucdp.uu.se
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Same era
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- 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
- Ethiopia and Somalia at war: a timeline, 1527 to 2026A timeline of wars and armed confrontations between Ethiopia and Somalia, from Adal in the 16th century through 1964, 1977, 1982 and 2006, to the 2024 crisis, with links to each full page.
- History of Somaliland: a timeline from the Stone Age to 2024A dated history of Somaliland from the Stone Age, Zeila and Adal to British rule, the 1960 union, the war of the 1980s, the 1991 declaration and the elections since.
- History of Mogadishu: a timeline from the 1200s to todayA dated history of Mogadishu: the medieval sultanate and mosques, Ibn Battuta, the Portuguese, the Banaadir coast under Zanzibar and Italy, the capital of 1960, and the wars since 1991.
- History of Puntland: a timeline from the sultanates to 2026A dated history of Puntland: the Majeerteen sultanates, the SSDF, the Garowe conferences of 1998, the crisis of 2001–2002, Las Anod, piracy, and its break with Mogadishu in 2024.
- Military history of Somalia: a timeline from Adal to AUSSOMA dated military history of Somalia: Adal, the Dervishes, the army of 1960, the Ogaden war, the civil war, foreign interventions and the war against al-Shabaab.
- Political history of Somalia: a timeline of governments, votes and constitutions, 1943 to 2026A dated political history of Somalia from the Somali Youth Club of 1943 to the constitutional changes of 2024–2026: governments, coups, elections, charters and constitutions.