Somalia Population Clock

Somalia has an estimated population of about 19.7 million, which makes it the 66th most populous of the 115 countries tracked here.

Its population is growing very rapidly, at 3.34% a year.

The capital is Mogadishu.

The counter below is a live estimate interpolated from the World Bank's latest annual figures — not a real-time measurement. It links to its source, base year and method via the ⓘ next to it.

Somalia population right now
—
Estimated, interpolated from the annual growth rate

Statistics

#66
World rank by population
3.34%
Annual growth rate
2,279
Births per day
524
Deaths per day

Population trend

14M16M18M20M 20162018202020222025

Population 2016–2025 (World Bank)

How Somalia's population is changing

Somalia records about 2,279 births and 524 deaths a day. That is a natural increase of roughly 1,755 people per day, or about 641,014 a year before migration is counted.

Net migration runs at about 12,077 over the reported period, with more people arriving than leaving. That is equivalent to about 2% of its natural change.

If the current rate held indefinitely, Somalia would take roughly 21 years to double in size — a projection of today's rate, not a forecast.

Over the 9 years from 2016 to 2025, the population rose from 14.3 million to 19.7 million — a gain of 5.31 million, or 37.0%.

Where people live in Somalia

With about 29 people per square kilometre, Somalia is sparsely populated, well below the world average of 62. That ranks 91st of the 115 countries here. Its closest comparisons on density are Angola and Zambia.

Somalia covers about 627,340 km² of land, which is what turns a population of 19.7 million into that density figure.

About 55.1% of people live in urban areas, making Somalia majority urban, almost exactly the world average of 57.8%. That works out to roughly 10.8 million town and city dwellers and 8.82 million living rurally.

Age, fertility and life expectancy in Somalia

Somalia has a very young population: about 46.6% are under 15 and 2.6% are 65 or older. Children outnumber over-65s by roughly 17.8 to one.

The total fertility rate is about 6.01 births per woman, above the ~2.1 replacement level, which is what sustains growth from births alone. The world figure is about 2.19.

Life expectancy at birth is about 59.0 years, roughly 14.5 years below the global average of 73.5.

Somalia at a glance

Every figure is World Bank open data; the year column is that indicator's own most recent reporting year.
IndicatorValueYear
Population 19.7 million 2025
World rank by population #66 2025
Annual growth rate 3.34% 2025
Population density 29 /km² 2023
Land area 627,340 km² 2023
Urban population 55.1% 2025
Life expectancy at birth 59.0 years 2024
Fertility rate 6.01 births per woman 2024
Population under 15 46.6% 2025
Population 65 and over 2.6% 2025
Net migration 12,077 2025
Births per day 2,279 2025
Deaths per day 524 2025

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Somalia?
Somalia has an estimated population of about 19.7 million, based on the World Bank's 2025 figure carried forward at its 3.34% annual growth rate. That makes Somalia the 66th most populous of the countries tracked here. Those people occupy about 627,340 km² of land, at roughly 29 people per square kilometre. The counter at the top of this page animates that estimate second by second; it is an interpolation from the published growth rate, not a live census.
Is Somalia's population growing or shrinking?
Somalia's population is growing very rapidly, at about 3.34% a year, which would double it in roughly 21 years if the rate held. In absolute terms that adds roughly 656,429 people a year to a base of 19.7 million. Across the 9 years from 2016 to 2025, the recorded count moved from 14.3 million to 19.7 million. Births outnumber deaths by about 641,014 a year before migration is counted.
How densely populated is Somalia?
Somalia has about 29 people per square kilometre, which makes it sparsely populated against a world average near 62. That is a population of 19.7 million spread across roughly 627,340 km² of land. On density Somalia ranks 91st of the 115 countries covered here. Density is simply population divided by land area. It says nothing about how those people are distributed — most countries concentrate far more heavily in cities than the national average implies.
Where do these Somalia figures come from?
Every figure on this Somalia page comes from World Bank open data (CC BY 4.0), using the indicators listed in the table above with each one's own reporting year. The headline population is the World Bank's 2025 estimate, and the live counter carries it forward at the published 3.34% annual growth rate. Nothing else is estimated by hand: density, urban share, fertility, life expectancy and age structure are reported exactly as published. Where an indicator is not available for Somalia, its row and the sentence that would have used it are left out rather than filled with a guess.

Current local time in Somalia

Methodology & sources

Data: World Bank (CC BY 4.0), base year 2025. The live counter animates the latest annual growth rate per second; it is an estimate, not a real-time measurement. No figures are invented — every number traces back to the World Bank indicators listed above.

Source: World Bank