8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Africa / Eastern Africa

Born in Somalia

About 1 in 167 people born in 2023 started life in Somalia. A boy can expect to live 56 years and a girl 61, up from 40 and 43 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and 73% have basic drinking water.

1 in 167
odds of being born here
788,800 births · Ranked 38th of 230
56 / 61
years of life, boys / girls
Was 40 / 43 in 1950
$1,402
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 190th of 203
54%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 17 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 257 in every 1,000 births to 103.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0200400600195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth56.3 years for boys, 61.4 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 5103.2 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year181,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.1World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles63%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV0.1%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year157 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year54 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 7.3 children on average in 1950. Now it is 6.1.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman6.13UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth29.4 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

Economic output per personabout $1,402 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank WDI
Unemployment19.0% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person1.0% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming31% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed52% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment3% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Mogadishu, with 2.6 million people.

54%
live in cities
50%
have electricity at home
73%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Mogadishu2.6 million
Borama597,842
Hargeysa477,876
Berbera242,344
Kismayo234,852
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Somali78%
Arabic34%
Swahili2%
Somali, Arabic is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Banaadir2.6 million
Woqooyi Galbeed820,240
Awdal785,144
Lower Shabeelle369,303
Lower Juba356,122
Bari293,587
Galguduud250,562
Bay177,631
Gedo176,060
Togdheer99,270

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

All 17 regions
  • Banaadir2.6 million
  • Woqooyi Galbeed820,240
  • Awdal785,144
  • Lower Shabeelle369,303
  • Lower Juba356,122
  • Bari293,587
  • Galguduud250,562
  • Bay177,631
  • Gedo176,060
  • Togdheer99,270
  • Mudug87,200
  • Nugaal76,204
  • Hiiraan72,338
  • Middle Juba61,169
  • Sool60,100
  • Middle Shabele47,086
  • Sanaag33,853

People on the move

About 10% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
Kenya401,953
Ethiopia389,246
Yemen285,211
Residents born abroad0.4% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 10.2% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostKenya (401,953), Ethiopia (389,246), Yemen (285,211)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $21.7 million a year (1983)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

0% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

0%
of older people receive a pension (2023)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2023)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 20241,361Our World in Data, from WHO
Hurricane-strength storms since 19802NOAA IBTrACS
Deaths in organized violence64,575 between 1989 and 2024UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Somalia, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Somalia

Elsewhere in Africa

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences