Sierra Leone vs Somalia: Share of population living in the capital city
Sierra Leone
22.4%
in 2020
Somalia
23.1%
in 2020
Sierra Leone rank
52nd
Somalia rank
50th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
How they compare
Somalia currently reports 23.1% against 22.4% in Sierra Leone, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Sierra Leone ahead.
Sierra Leone ranks 52nd and Somalia ranks 50th of 170 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Sierra Leone averaged higher in 6 and Somalia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | Somalia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.2% | 3.7% | 2.5% | Sierra Leone |
| 1960s | 7.1% | 5.1% | 2.1% | Sierra Leone |
| 1970s | 9.7% | 9.1% | 0.6% | Sierra Leone |
| 1980s | 13.0% | 10.2% | 2.7% | Sierra Leone |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 15.4% | 0.2% | Somalia |
| 2000s | 17.6% | 13.9% | 3.7% | Sierra Leone |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 15.0% | 3.9% | Sierra Leone |
| 2020s | 22.4% | 23.1% | 0.7% | Somalia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Sierra Leone or Somalia?
- Somalia, at 23.1% against 22.4% in Sierra Leone as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Sierra Leone and Somalia?
- 0.7%, with Somalia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and Somalia?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Sierra Leone and Somalia rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- Sierra Leone ranks 52nd and Somalia ranks 50th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.