Population by labor force status in Somalia
Somalia: Population by labor force status was 9.15 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population by labor force status in Somalia, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 9.15 million people for population by labor force status in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 39.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Somalia peaked at 9.15 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.02 million people, in 1992.
That places Somalia 47th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in Somalia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.20 million people | — |
| 1992 | 3.02 million people | -5.6% |
| 1993 | 3.10 million people | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 3.27 million people | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 3.40 million people | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 3.54 million people | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 3.68 million people | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 3.84 million people | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 4.01 million people | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 4.19 million people | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 4.37 million people | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 4.54 million people | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 4.73 million people | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 4.92 million people | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 5.13 million people | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 5.33 million people | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 5.53 million people | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 5.71 million people | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 5.84 million people | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 5.97 million people | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 5.96 million people | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 5.97 million people | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 6.15 million people | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 6.36 million people | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 6.58 million people | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 6.82 million people | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 7.07 million people | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 7.30 million people | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 7.56 million people | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 7.83 million people | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 8.11 million people | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 8.34 million people | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 8.57 million people | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 8.86 million people | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 9.15 million people | +3.3% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 9.15 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.15 million people, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 9.15 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.33 million people, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.45 million people | 3.02 million people | 4.01 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.03 million people | 4.19 million people | 5.84 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.57 million people | 5.96 million people | 7.56 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.48 million people | 7.83 million people | 9.15 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More work & labour data for Somalia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4323 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4971 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7917 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 22,865 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 12,986 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 34,351 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,013 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 67,364 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in Somalia?
- Population by labor force status in Somalia was 9.15 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.15 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.02 million people in 1992.
- How does Somalia rank for population by labor force status?
- Somalia ranks 47th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).