Share of population living in the capital city in Somalia
Somalia: Share of population living in the capital city was 23.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Somalia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in Somalia is 23.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 68.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Somalia peaked at 23.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1950.
Somalia ranks 50th of 170 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.4% | — |
| 1955 | 3.9% | +13.9% |
| 1960 | 4.5% | +14.7% |
| 1965 | 5.6% | +25.6% |
| 1970 | 7.8% | +37.9% |
| 1975 | 10.4% | +33.8% |
| 1980 | 9.1% | -12.0% |
| 1985 | 11.3% | +23.8% |
| 1990 | 14.8% | +30.7% |
| 1995 | 16.0% | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 14.0% | -12.3% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 13.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | +19.0% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | +41.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 5.1% | 4.5% | 5.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 9.1% | 7.8% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.2% | 9.1% | 11.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.4% | 14.8% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.9% | 13.7% | 14.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 15.0% | 13.7% | 16.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 23.1% | 23.1% | 23.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 47 Thailand 24.1% compare
- 48 Georgia 23.6% compare
- 49 Montenegro 23.6% compare
- 51 Luxembourg 22.7% compare
- 52 Sierra Leone 22.4% compare
- 53 Austria 22.2% compare
More population data for Somalia
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.4952 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.14 million people (2100)
- Population density 107.38 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3207 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.89 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Somalia?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Somalia was 23.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1950.
- How does Somalia rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Somalia ranks 50th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.