Human Development & Quality of Life in Somalia
Human Development
Somalia enters the 2025 UNDP report with a 2023 HDI of 0.404 and rank 192, within the low human development group. That rank is only the starting point. The GDI of 0.793 (group 5) shows a pronounced female-male development gap within the UNDP framework. In a different dimension, the income component uses GNI per capita of $1,475 in 2021 PPP dollars.
What sits inside Somalia's HDI
For the evidence shown here, the UNDP inputs behind Somalia's HDI are 58.8 for life expectancy, 7.5 for expected years of schooling, 1.9 for mean years of schooling and $1,475 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP dollars. These figures show what sits behind the composite score.
Inequality changes the headline
In the UNDP data used here, IHDI is the HDI after allowing for unequal distribution of achievement, for Somalia, it remains an objective development measure rather than a subjective well-being indicator.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
The broader UNDP dashboard for Somalia adds GDI 0.793, GII 0.675, PHDI 0.396 to the HDI result. They complement one another, but none is treated as a substitute for another.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
No dated comparable life-satisfaction figure is included for Somalia in this release. Missing source coverage is shown as a limitation, not filled with an estimate.
What Somalia's numbers say together
For a fuller view of Somalia, the page shows IHDI 0.229 with a 43.3% loss; PHDI 0.396 after a 2.0% adjustment; GDI 0.793. Each measure has a different definition, so they are not combined.
For 2023, Somalia records HDI 0.404 and rank 192 in the UNDP table. The result should be read as a composite of health, schooling and income outcomes. For the profile as a whole, preserve the distinction between level and distribution instead of collapsing separate dimensions into one label.
The IHDI is 0.229, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 43.3% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.793 in group 5; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.396, with a 2.0% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Somalia's HDI?
For the 2023 observation year, UNDP reports HDI 0.404 and rank 192 for Somalia.
How does inequality affect Somalia's HDI?
The UNDP inequality adjustment gives Somalia an IHDI of 0.229, with an overall loss of 43.3% from the unadjusted HDI.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
This profile does not fill the quality-of-life section for Somalia simply to complete the layout. Missing source coverage is shown as a limitation, not filled with an estimate.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI is an objective development index based on health, education and income. Life satisfaction remains distinct from the health, education and income dimensions used by HDI. When using this figure elsewhere, distinguish the composite from its components so the source year is not silently treated as the publication year.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.