Share of population living in rural areas in Somalia
Somalia: Share of population living in rural areas was 17.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Somalia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in rural areas in Somalia is 17.3%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Somalia peaked at 49.9% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 17.3%, in 2020.
Somalia ranks 170th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49.9% | — |
| 1955 | 47.1% | -5.8% |
| 1960 | 44.4% | -5.7% |
| 1965 | 41.6% | -6.2% |
| 1970 | 38.8% | -6.7% |
| 1975 | 36.1% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 33.8% | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 30.7% | -9.2% |
| 1990 | 27.9% | -9.3% |
| 1995 | 24.4% | -12.5% |
| 2000 | 21.7% | -11.2% |
| 2005 | 19.8% | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 18.3% | -7.3% |
| 2015 | 17.7% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.5% | 47.1% | 49.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 43.0% | 41.6% | 44.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 37.5% | 36.1% | 38.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 32.3% | 30.7% | 33.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.1% | 24.4% | 27.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.7% | 19.8% | 21.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 17.7% | 18.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More population data for Somalia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4652 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Population density 107.38 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.14 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Somalia?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Somalia was 17.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 49.9% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.3% in 2020.
- How does Somalia rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Somalia ranks 170th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.