Population and Demographics of Somalia
A very young population · 46.59% under age 15 in 2024
Children under 15 make up 46.59% of Somalia's population, with a 44.00-point gap between the under-15 and 65-plus shares. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 115.1% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. The medium projection reaches 37.21 million in 2050, placing the mid-century total 95.7% above 2024.
Population Over Time in Somalia
Since 2000, Somalia's population has grown from 8.839M to 19.009M, a net shift of about 10.17 million. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 37.207M, about 95.7% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Age composition is an important part of Somalia's demographic picture in 2024. Children under 15 make up 46.59% of the population, compared with 2.59% aged 65 or older, and 50.82% are 15 to 64. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Somalia a female share of 49.9% and a male share of 50.1%. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
The World Bank's 2024 series shows a nearly even sex balance: 49.9% female and 50.1% male.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Somalia pairs a 2024 annual population rate of +3.54% with fertility of 6.0, as the working-age group accounts for 50.82% of the population.
Over the longer record, Somalia changed +115.1% from 2000 to 2024, followed by a medium projection that is +95.7% different in 2050; this describes the trajectory without guessing at migration or natural increase.
2024 estimate for Somalia. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Somalia vs. World
In 2024, Somalia's annual population change, fertility and median age do not all sit on the same side of the world benchmarks: they are respectively higher than, above and younger than the global benchmarks.
| Indicator | Somalia | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +3.54% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 6 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 16 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Somalia and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
Somalia has 19,009,151 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +3.54% over the year.
Broad age shares show 2.59% aged 65+ compared with 46.59% under 15; the 15 to 64 group accounts for 50.82%.
Females make up 49.9% of the 2024 population in the World Bank indicator, with males at 50.1%.
The 2050 medium projection is 37.207M, 95.7% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Somalia?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Somalia is 19,009,151 people.
Is the population of Somalia growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Somalia's population is growing, with annual change of +3.54%.
What percentage of the population of Somalia is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 2.59% of Somalia's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Somalia in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Somalia's 2050 population at 37,206,512.
What is the fertility rate in Somalia?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Somalia is 6 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.