Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia
Somalia: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 14.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 14.5% for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia peaked at 17.2% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1960.
Somalia ranks 93rd of 121 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.3% | — |
| 1961 | 3.4% | +4.7% |
| 1962 | 3.6% | +4.7% |
| 1963 | 3.7% | +4.6% |
| 1964 | 4.0% | +7.0% |
| 1965 | 4.4% | +9.4% |
| 1966 | 4.8% | +9.4% |
| 1967 | 5.2% | +9.4% |
| 1968 | 5.7% | +9.4% |
| 1969 | 6.3% | +9.4% |
| 1970 | 6.9% | +9.4% |
| 1971 | 7.5% | +9.4% |
| 1972 | 8.2% | +9.4% |
| 1973 | 9.0% | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 9.8% | +9.4% |
| 1975 | 10.5% | +6.4% |
| 1976 | 10.6% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 10.8% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 10.5% | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 9.7% | -7.8% |
| 1980 | 9.3% | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 9.6% | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 10.0% | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 10.5% | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 11.2% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 11.4% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 11.8% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 12.6% | +6.6% |
| 1989 | 13.6% | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 14.6% | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 16.2% | +11.0% |
| 1992 | 17.2% | +5.9% |
| 1993 | 16.8% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 16.2% | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 15.7% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 15.3% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 14.0% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 13.6% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 13.2% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 13.2% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 13.2% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 13.2% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 13.3% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 13.4% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 9.7% | -27.5% |
| 2008 | 10.1% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 11.0% | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 13.5% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 13.8% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 14.0% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 14.2% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 14.3% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 14.5% | +1.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 14.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 12.1%, 1.2× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 14.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.8%, 98% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | -27.5% | 13.4% | 9.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.4% | 3.3% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.3% | 6.9% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.1% | 9.3% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.5% | 14.0% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 9.7% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 11.0% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 13.7% | 14.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 90 Guinea 14.9% compare
- 91 Philippines 14.8% compare
- 92 Burkina Faso 14.6% compare
- 94 Indonesia 14.4% compare
- 95 Tanzania, United Republic of 14.2% compare
- 96 Ukraine 14.0% compare
More climate change data for Somalia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 76.68 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 40,869 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,404 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 29,465 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 43.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,052 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 530.13 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 497.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 32.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.88 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Somalia was 14.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 1992.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1960.
- How does Somalia rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Somalia ranks 93rd out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.