# Mogadishu (Banadir)

> Mogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/regions/mogadishu/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who lives there

About 2.97 million people in 20 districts (early 2026). Over 1.1 million live in 2,493 displacement sites. Most of these sites are in Kahda (1,241) and Dayniile (1,029) ([EUAA displacement sites](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/somalia-displacement-mogadishu/13-idps-and-idp-sites-mogadishu)).

The city's oldest community, the Reer Xamar (Benadiri), live in the old quarters of Shangaani and Xamar Weyne and face exclusion ([EUAA demographics](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/somalia-displacement-mogadishu/11-mogadishu-demographics-and-clan-composition)).

## Work and money

About two-thirds of businesses are informal, and only 7% employ more than 20 people. Bakaara market has more than 20,000 businesses, and women run many small food and tea businesses. Jobs often come through relatives or officials ([EUAA economy](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/coi/somalia/2025/country-focus/21-mogadishu/213-socioeconomic-indicators)).

### Monthly pay and costs (US dollars)

- House worker: $50 to $100 a month
- Watchman: $100 to $150 a month
- New nurse or soldier: about $200 a month
- What one adult needs to live: $200 to $250 a month
- Shack rent in Dayniile or Kahda: about $50 a month
- "Free" public school, per child: $10 to $15 a month
- Caesarean birth in a private clinic: $250 to $300, once
- Water for a family of six: $20 to $30 a month

An unskilled worker earns less than it costs to live, and there are no public social services ([EUAA economy](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/coi/somalia/2025/country-focus/21-mogadishu/213-socioeconomic-indicators)).

## Who governs

The federal government and the Banadir Regional Administration. The city is not a federal member state, and its final status is still to be decided ([Heritage Institute, 2025](https://heritageinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/State-of-Somalia-Report-2025-1-1.pdf)).

In December 2025 the city held its first direct local vote in more than 50 years, for 390 council seats. About 1,605 candidates stood and about 500,000 people registered. The opposition stayed away ([Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/25/somali-capital-holds-first-direct-election-in-five-decades)).

## Top needs

1. Fair handling of land disputes and evictions.
2. Jobs that don't depend on connections.
3. School fees families can afford.
4. The cost of giving birth safely.
5. Clean, affordable water.

## What we don't know yet

Up-to-date eviction numbers for 2026, and how many people arrived from each region. If you know, use "Fix this page".

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