Droughts, famines and displacement
Measles in Somalia: cases by year and the outbreaks of 2014 to 2022
Measles is endemic in Somalia. The highest yearly counts reported to WHO are 23,039 cases in 2017, 17,361 in 2022 and 17,298 in 2011, all drought years. In 2025 about 61% of one-year-olds had a first measles dose and 31% a second dose (WHO/UNICEF estimates).
In short
Measles cases in Somalia have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1978. The highest yearly counts are in drought years: 23,039 in 2017, 17,361 in 2022 and 17,298 in 2011 (WHO Global Health Observatory, measles reported cases, Somalia).
OCHA described measles as "endemic" and said numbers rise "as the drought conditions" spread (ReliefWeb, Somalia: Measles Outbreak 2016–2026; OCHA, 2021).
Cases reported to WHO
| Year | Cases | Item | Year | Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 79 | 2010 | 115 | |
| 1983 | 622 | 2011 | 17,298 | |
| 1984 | 487 | 2012 | 9,983 | |
| 1985 | 128 | 2013 | 3,173 | |
| 1986 | 70 | 2014 | 10,229 | |
| 1987 | 222 | 2015 | 7,497 | |
| 1988 | 296 | 2016 | 26 | |
| 1989 | 988 | 2017 | 23,039 | |
| 1996 | 1,830 | 2018 | 9,126 | |
| 1998 | 3,075 | 2019 | 283 | |
| 1999 | 5,523 | 2020 | 2,531 | |
| 2000 | 3,965 | 2021 | 7,191 | |
| 2001 | 3,571 | 2022 | 17,361 | |
| 2002 | 9,559 | 2023 | 3,167 | |
| 2003 | 8,257 | 2024 | 1,529 | |
| 2004 | 12,008 | 2025 | 1,867 | |
| 2006 to 2009 | 7; 1,149; 1,081; 13 |
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator WHS3_62, downloaded 13 November 2026. Years not shown were not reported. The WHO figures are official national reports and can differ from UN field counts of suspected cases. For 2016, WHO lists 26 cases, while OCHA reported 5,657 suspected cases for that year (OCHA, 16 May 2017).
Vaccine coverage
WHO and UNICEF estimate the share of one-year-olds who received a first measles dose (MCV1) and of children who received a second dose (MCV2) (WHO GHO, MCV1; WHO GHO, MCV2).
| Year | First dose | Second dose |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 24% | none |
| 2005 | 35% | none |
| 2010 | 46% | none |
| 2015 | 50% | none |
| 2020 | 52% | none |
| 2021 | 58% | 3% |
| 2022 | 69% | 6% |
| 2023 | 63% | 18% |
| 2024 | 64% | 32% |
| 2025 | 61% | 31% |
More figures are on health numbers, 1990 to 2025.
The 2014 to 2015 outbreak
- Start. Outbreaks were confirmed in several regions from early February 2014 (OCHA, 20 May 2014).
- Growth. There were over 1,350 suspected cases in March and April, four times the number in the same months of 2013, and nearly 1,000 in May alone (WHO/UNICEF, 10 June 2014).
- Response. On 14 July 2014 the UN Central Emergency Response Fund gave US$1.4 million to vaccinate 520,000 children under 5 in Banadir, Lower Juba and Puntland (OCHA, 14 July 2014).
- Totals. By November 2014 there were about 9,000 cases. In 2015 some 7,500 suspected cases were found, mostly children under 5 in southern and central Somalia.
- Campaign. From November 2015 a campaign targeted nearly 4 million children under 10. Over 3.5 million were vaccinated, 90% coverage in accessible districts (OCHA, 23 March 2016).
All from ReliefWeb, Somalia: Measles Outbreak – May 2014.
The 2016 to 2018 outbreak
- Kismayo, late 2016. Over 704 cases of fever and rash were recorded in Kismayo, most of them children, and most unvaccinated. UNICEF aimed to vaccinate 54,000 children under 10 there (UNICEF, 16 December 2016).
- 2017. WHO called it Somalia's "worst measles outbreak in 4 years". By the end of 2017, 23,002 suspected cases had been reported, 83% of them in children under 10 (WHO, 15 August 2017; WHO/UNICEF, 7 January 2018).
- National campaign. A campaign to vaccinate 4.2 million children aged 6 months to 10 years began in Puntland in November and December 2017. In March 2018, 2,734,941 children were vaccinated in central and southern Somalia and Somaliland, 102% of the target (UNICEF, 31 March 2018).
- 2018. Cases fell. The worst-hit districts that year included Cabudwaaq (709 cases), Huriwaa in Mogadishu (542), Laascaanood (354), Baidoa (369) and Cadaado (295) (WHO and government, 2018).
All from ReliefWeb, Somalia: Measles Outbreak 2016–2026. The drought of these years is on the 2016 to 2018 drought.
2019 to 2022
- 2019. 3,616 suspected cases by 9 November (OCHA, 9 December 2019).
- 2020. Kismayo General Hospital admitted 1,033 children with measles from March to December, 845 of them under 5, despite an October campaign (WHO, 31 December 2020).
- 2021 to 2022. Health partners reported rising cases in Galmudug, Middle Shabelle and Banadir as the 2020 to 2023 drought spread (OCHA, via ReliefWeb). WHO's count for 2022 was 17,361.
Related pages
Sources
- World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory: measles reported cases (WHS3_62), MCV1 coverage (WHS8_110) and MCV2 coverage, Somalia.
- ReliefWeb. Somalia: Measles Outbreak – May 2014 (OCHA, WHO, UNICEF reports, 2014 to 2016).
- ReliefWeb. Somalia: Measles Outbreak 2016–2026 (UNICEF, IOM, WHO, OCHA, Health Cluster reports, 2016 to 2022).
Sources
- WHO Global Health Observatory, measles reported cases, Somalia · ghoapi.azureedge.net
- ReliefWeb, Somalia: Measles Outbreak 2016–2026 · reliefweb.int
- WHO GHO, MCV1 · ghoapi.azureedge.net
- WHO GHO, MCV2 · ghoapi.azureedge.net
- ReliefWeb, Somalia: Measles Outbreak – May 2014 · reliefweb.int
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Measles in Somalia: cases by year and the outbreaks of 2014 to 2022? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Burco (Burao) and TogdheerTogdheer is the northern region around Burco (Burao), with about 894,874 people including Buuhoodle.
- Laascaanood (Las Anod) and SoolSool is a region in the north with Las Anod (Laascaanood) as its capital and about 571,000 people.
- Dhuusamarreeb (Dhusamareb) and GalgaduudGalgaduud is a region of central Somalia in Galmudug State, with Dhusamareb (Dhuusamarreeb) as its capital and about 845,000 people.
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- 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
- Disasters in Somalia: a list from 1974 to 2026A list of every recorded disaster in Somalia from the 1974 drought to the 2026 dengue outbreak, year by year, with deaths and people affected and a link to the full page or UN record.
- Famines and droughts in Somalia: a timeline and the Somali names for themA timeline of droughts and famines in Somalia from 1913 to 2023, with the Somali names given to each, deaths where estimated, and links to the full pages.
- Rain, drought and floods in Somalia: the Gu and Deyr seasons and the great droughtsSomalia's rainy seasons (Gu and Deyr), the great droughts from 1974 to today, the death tolls, the 2023 floods, and what changed after the 2011 famine.
- The Somalia famine of 2010 to 2012: what happened and how many diedThe 2010 to 2012 famine in southern Somalia: the drought, the famine declarations region by region, the blocked aid, the death toll by region, the refugees and how it ended.
- The Somalia famine of 1991 to 1993 (Caga Barar): causes, deaths and reliefThe 1991 to 1993 famine in southern Somalia: how war and drought caused it, Baidoa and the camps, the death toll, the Red Cross and UN response, and how it ended.
- The Somalia drought of 2016 to 2018: famine warned, famine avertedThe 2016 to 2018 drought in Somalia: the poor rains, the national disaster, cholera and displacement, the cash response, the death toll and why famine was not declared.