Urban population in Somalia
Somalia: Urban population was 10.84 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Somalia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Somalia stood at 10.84 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and up 79.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Somalia peaked at 10.84 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 508,138, in 1960.
Somalia ranks 60th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 508,138 | — |
| 1961 | 536,512 | +5.6% |
| 1962 | 566,186 | +5.5% |
| 1963 | 597,189 | +5.5% |
| 1964 | 630,077 | +5.5% |
| 1965 | 665,366 | +5.6% |
| 1966 | 702,759 | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 742,034 | +5.6% |
| 1968 | 783,022 | +5.5% |
| 1969 | 825,376 | +5.4% |
| 1970 | 868,915 | +5.3% |
| 1971 | 912,996 | +5.1% |
| 1972 | 957,368 | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 1.00 million | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 1.05 million | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 1.09 million | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 1.13 million | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 1.17 million | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 1.27 million | +8.4% |
| 1979 | 1.45 million | +14.2% |
| 1980 | 1.59 million | +9.9% |
| 1981 | 1.62 million | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 1.64 million | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 1.70 million | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 1.78 million | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 1.87 million | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 1.97 million | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 2.06 million | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 2.08 million | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 2.07 million | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 2.08 million | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 2.02 million | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 1.95 million | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 2.03 million | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 2.16 million | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 2.26 million | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 2.37 million | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 2.49 million | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 2.63 million | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 2.77 million | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 2.92 million | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 3.08 million | +5.5% |
| 2002 | 3.25 million | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 3.42 million | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 3.59 million | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 3.78 million | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 3.95 million | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 4.14 million | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 4.34 million | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 4.53 million | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 4.73 million | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 4.86 million | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 5.02 million | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 5.31 million | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 5.65 million | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 6.06 million | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 6.59 million | +8.9% |
| 2017 | 7.21 million | +9.4% |
| 2018 | 7.87 million | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 8.28 million | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 8.71 million | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 9.14 million | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 9.52 million | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 9.93 million | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 10.38 million | +4.6% |
| 2025 | 10.84 million | +4.4% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 10.84 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 10.84 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 2.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 655,666 | 508,138 | 825,376 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.09 million | 868,915 | 1.45 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.84 million | 1.59 million | 2.08 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.28 million | 1.95 million | 2.77 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.70 million | 2.92 million | 4.53 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.16 million | 4.73 million | 8.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.75 million | 8.71 million | 10.84 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 57 Kazakhstan 13.00 million compare
- 58 Ecuador 11.59 million compare
- 59 Afghanistan 11.37 million compare
- 61 Madagascar 10.77 million compare
- 62 Jordan 10.74 million compare
- 63 Senegal 10.56 million 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 urban population in Somalia?
- Urban population in Somalia was 10.84 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.84 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 508,138 in 1960.
- How does Somalia rank for urban population?
- Somalia ranks 60th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.