Urban population (% of total population) in Somalia
Somalia: Urban population (% of total population) was 55.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Urban population in Somalia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Somalia is 55.1%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 4.2% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Somalia peaked at 55.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 52.9%, in 2021.
That places Somalia 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total population) in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.7% | — |
| 1961 | 18.2% | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 18.7% | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 19.2% | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 19.7% | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 20.3% | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 20.9% | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 21.5% | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 22.1% | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 22.7% | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 23.2% | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 23.8% | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 24.3% | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 24.8% | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 25.2% | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 25.5% | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 25.8% | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 26.1% | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 26.4% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 26.6% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 26.8% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 27.1% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 27.3% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 27.5% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 27.7% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 28.0% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 28.2% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 28.5% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 28.8% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 29.1% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 29.4% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 29.7% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 30.0% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 30.4% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 30.7% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 31.1% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 31.4% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 31.8% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 32.2% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 32.6% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 33.1% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 34.0% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 34.5% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 35.0% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 35.5% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 36.0% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 36.6% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 37.2% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 37.8% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 39.4% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 40.3% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 41.3% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 42.4% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 45.9% | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 48.4% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 51.0% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 51.6% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 52.3% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 52.9% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 53.5% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 54.1% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 54.6% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 55.1% | +1.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 55.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 34.5%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 55.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.1% | 17.7% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.2% | 23.2% | 26.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.9% | 26.8% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.9% | 29.4% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 33.1% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.3% | 38.6% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.8% | 52.3% | 55.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
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 urban population in Somalia?
- Urban population in Somalia was 55.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 55.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.9% in 2021.
- How does Somalia rank for urban population?
- Somalia ranks 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.