Statizoid

Population in Somalia

Somalia: Population was 18.36 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
18.36 million people
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
68th
of 238 countries
All-time high
18.36 million people
in 2023
All-time low
389,200 people
in 1000
Years of data
241
1000–2023

Population in Somalia, 1000–2023

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M100015112023

Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population in Somalia is 18.36 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 241 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 42.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in Somalia peaked at 18.36 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 389,200 people, in 1000.

That places Somalia 68th out of 238 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 389,200 people 389,200 people 389,200 people 1
1100s 467,040 people 467,040 people 467,040 people 1
1200s 544,880 people 544,880 people 544,880 people 1
1300s 622,720 people 622,720 people 622,720 people 1
1400s 700,560 people 700,560 people 700,560 people 1
1500s 778,400 people 778,400 people 778,400 people 1
1600s 827,050 people 827,050 people 827,050 people 1
1700s 875,700 people 875,700 people 875,700 people 1
1710s 886,058 people 886,058 people 886,058 people 1
1720s 896,416 people 896,416 people 896,416 people 1
1730s 906,775 people 906,775 people 906,775 people 1
1740s 917,133 people 917,133 people 917,133 people 1
1750s 927,491 people 927,491 people 927,491 people 1
1760s 937,850 people 937,850 people 937,850 people 1
1770s 948,208 people 948,208 people 948,208 people 1
1780s 958,566 people 958,566 people 958,566 people 1
1790s 968,925 people 968,925 people 968,925 people 1
1800s 990,855 people 988,951 people 992,762 people 10
1810s 999,772 people 993,190 people 1.01 million people 10
1820s 1.06 million people 1.01 million people 1.12 million people 10
1830s 1.21 million people 1.14 million people 1.28 million people 10
1840s 1.37 million people 1.30 million people 1.45 million people 10
1850s 1.47 million people 1.46 million people 1.47 million people 10
1860s 1.47 million people 1.46 million people 1.47 million people 10
1870s 1.47 million people 1.46 million people 1.47 million people 10
1880s 1.48 million people 1.47 million people 1.48 million people 10
1890s 1.50 million people 1.48 million people 1.52 million people 10
1900s 1.54 million people 1.52 million people 1.56 million people 10
1910s 1.57 million people 1.56 million people 1.59 million people 10
1920s 1.66 million people 1.59 million people 1.73 million people 10
1930s 1.82 million people 1.75 million people 1.89 million people 10
1940s 2.03 million people 1.91 million people 2.17 million people 10
1950s 2.50 million people 2.21 million people 2.80 million people 10
1960s 3.24 million people 2.88 million people 3.64 million people 10
1970s 4.31 million people 3.74 million people 5.45 million people 10
1980s 6.58 million people 5.94 million people 7.24 million people 10
1990s 7.34 million people 6.50 million people 8.49 million people 10
2000s 10.43 million people 8.84 million people 11.96 million people 10
2010s 13.78 million people 12.26 million people 16.03 million people 10
2020s 17.52 million people 16.65 million people 18.36 million people 4

Countries ranked near Somalia

  1. 65 Chile 19.66 million people compare
  2. 66 Chad 19.32 million people compare
  3. 67 Romania 19.12 million people compare
  4. 69 Guatemala 18.12 million people compare
  5. 70 Netherlands 18.09 million people compare
  6. 71 Senegal 18.08 million people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Somalia

All data for Somalia →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in Somalia?
Population in Somalia was 18.36 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in Somalia?
The highest recorded value was 18.36 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest population recorded in Somalia?
The lowest recorded value was 389,200 people in 1000.
How does Somalia rank for population?
Somalia ranks 68th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
Is population rising or falling in Somalia?
Over the last ten years it is up 42.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Somalia data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Population
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.