Rural population in Somalia
Somalia: Rural population was 51.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
51.5%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
63rd
of 214 countries
All-time high
77.3%
in 1970
All-time low
51.5%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Somalia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 51.5% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Somalia peaked at 77.3% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 51.5%, in 2024.
That places Somalia 63rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 77.3% | — |
| 1971 | 76.7% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 76.2% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 75.6% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 75.0% | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 74.5% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 74.3% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 74.0% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 73.7% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 73.5% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 73.2% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 73.0% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 72.7% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 72.5% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 72.2% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 71.9% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 71.7% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 71.4% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 71.0% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 70.7% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 70.3% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 70.0% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 69.6% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 69.3% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 68.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 68.6% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 68.2% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 67.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 67.5% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 67.1% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 66.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 66.4% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 66.0% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 64.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 63.7% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 62.9% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 65.6% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 64.0% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 62.4% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 60.7% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 59.0% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 58.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 57.9% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 57.3% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 56.8% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 56.2% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 55.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 55.0% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 54.4% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 53.9% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 53.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 52.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 52.1% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 51.5% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 75.1% | 73.5% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 72.0% | 70.7% | 73.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.7% | 67.1% | 70.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.7% | 62.4% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.1% | 54.4% | 60.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.7% | 51.5% | 53.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 60 Zambia 53.1% compare
- 61 Mali 53.1% compare
- 62 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 51.9% compare
- 64 Philippines 51.4% compare
- 65 Senegal 49.9% compare
- 66 British Virgin Islands 49.8% compare
More population data for Somalia
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.96 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.4952 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 36,463 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.89 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3207 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.424 (2100)
- Population density 107.38 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.14 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.424 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Somalia?
- Rural population in Somalia was 51.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 77.3% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.5% in 2024.
- How does Somalia rank for rural population?
- Somalia ranks 63rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release