Demographics_of_Somalia

Demographics of Somalia

Demographics of Somalia

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Demographic features of Somalia's inhabitants include ethnicity, language, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Somalia is believed to be one of the most homogeneous countries in Africa.

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2020 survey

Child marriages, known to deprive women of opportunities to reach their full potential, have among women aged 20–24, 36 percent of total population.[2]

The April 2020 SHDS report further unveils that fertility rates remain very high, the total fertility rate for Somalia is 6.9 children per woman, the highest in the world, which would impact planning for the next years.[2] In addition, 99 percent of women have still been genitally circumcised.[2]

Ethnic groups

According to The Economist, at independence Somalia was "arguably in ethnic terms the most homogeneous country in Africa" however, the publication also notes that "its ethnic homogeneity is misleading. Despite also sharing a single language and religion, it is divided into more than 500 clans and sub-clans".[3]

Somalis

Young Somali women at a community event in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Somalis constitute the largest ethnic group in Somalia, at approximately 98% of the nation's inhabitants.[4] They are organized into clan groupings, which are important social units; clan membership plays a central part in Somali culture and politics. Clans are patrilineal and are typically divided into sub-clans, sometimes with many sub-divisions. Through the xeer system (customary law), the advanced clan structure has served governmental roles in many rural Somali communities.[5]

Somali society is traditionally ethnically endogamous. So to extend ties of alliance, marriage is often to another ethnic Somali from a different clan. Thus, for example, a recent study observed that in 89 marriages contracted by men of the Dhulbahante clan, 55 (62%) were with women of Dhulbahante sub-clans other than those of their husbands; 30 (33.7%) were with women of surrounding clans of other clan families (Isaaq, 28; Gadabuursi, 3); and 3 (4.3%) were with women of other clans of the Darod clan family (Marehan 2, Ogaden 1).[6]

Clan structure

Genealogical tree of Somali clans[7]

Certain clans are traditionally classed as noble clans, referring to their pastoral lifestyle in contrast to the sedentary "Sab".[8] The four noble clans are the Dir, Darod, Hawiye and Isaaq.[9][10] Of these, the Dir and Hawiye are regarded as descended from Irir Samaale, the likely source of the ethnonym Somali (soomaali).[11] Darod have separate agnatic (paternal) traditions of descent from Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti (Sheikh Darod).[12] Sheikh Darod is asserted to have married women from the Dir clan, thus establishing matrilateral ties with the Samaale main stem.[11] "Sab" is a term used to refer to minor Somali clans in contrast to "Samaale".[13] Both Samaale and Sab are the children of the father "Hiil" who is the common ancestor of all Somali clans.[14]

A few clans in the southern part of Greater Somalia do not belong to the major clans, but came to be associated with them and were eventually adopted into one of the confederations.

Gaalje'el in Hirshabelle and elsewhere in central Somalia trace their paternal descent to Gardheere Samaale.[15][16] The Degoodi clan in the Somali Region and North Eastern Province are related to Gaalje'el as the Saransoor trace patrilineage to Gardheere Samaale;[15][16] Hawaadle in Hiran belong to the Meyle Samaale;[15][16] Thus, the Gaalje'el, Garre, Degoodi Ajuraan and Hawaadle are said to have patrilateral ties with the Dir and Hawiye through Samaale to Aqil ibn Abi Talib (a cousin of Muhammad and a brother of Ali).

The Garre clan in the Somali Region and the North Eastern Province is divided into two branches: The Tuuf who claim descent from Garre Gardheere Samaale,[17][18][19] and Quranyow, who married Tuuf's daughter, is of the lineage Mahamed Hiniftir Mahe Dir.[18][20][21] Ajuraan in the North Eastern Province claim descent from Maqaarre Samaale[17]

The Sheekhaal acknowledge descent from Sheikh Abadir Umar Ar-Rida, known as Fiqi Umar.[22] The Sheekhaal clan (Arabic: شيخال), is a Somali clan and a group member of the confederation (Martiile Hiraab) inhabiting Somalia, Ethiopia and with considerable numbers also found in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) in Kenya.[23]

The Digil and Mirifle (Rahanweyn) are agro-pastoral clans in the areas between the Baay and Bakool. Many do not follow a nomadic lifestyle, live further south, and speak Maay. Although in the past frequently classified as a Somali dialect, more recent research by the linguist Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi suggests that Maay constitutes a separate but closely related Afro-Asiatic language of the Cushitic branch.[24]

A third group, the occupational clans, are treated as outcasts. They can only marry among themselves. They live in their settlements among the nomadic populations in the north and performed specialized occupations such as metalworking, tanning and hunting.[13] These minority Somali clans are the Gaboye (Madhiban), Tumaal, Yibir, Jaji and Yahar.

Clans and sub-clans

An old map of Richard Burton's route to Harar features one of the earliest depictions of Somali clan settlements.[25]

There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures. The divisions and subdivisions as given here are partial and simplified. Many lineages are omitted.

Map showing the contemporary Somali clans and their territories

Major clans

Minor clans

Other ethnic groups

Non-Somali ethnic minority groups make up about 5% of the nation's population.[4] They include Arabs, Bantus & Bajunis.

Languages

Speech sample in Standard Somali.

Somali is the official language of Somalis. The Somali language is the mother tongue of the Somalis, the nation's most populous ethnic group.[29] It is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family.[30]

In addition to Somali, Arabic, which is also an Afroasiatic tongue,[31] is a language in Somalia. Many Somalis speak it due to centuries-old ties with the Arab world, the far-reaching influence of the Arabic media, and religious education.[31][32][33]

English is widely used and taught. Other minority languages include Bravanese, a variant of the Bantu Swahili language that is spoken along the coast by the Bravanese people, as well as Bajuni, another Swahili dialect that is the mother tongue of the Bajuni ethnic minority group.

Population

Estimated Population 1950–2021; UN, World Population Prospects 2022

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[34][35], the total population was 17,065,581 in 2021, compared to 2,264,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 44.9%, 52.3% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.7% was 65 years or older.[36]

Vital statistics

Life expectancy in Somalia since 1950
Life expectancy in Somalia since 1960 by gender

Registration of vital events in Somalia is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates:[37]

More information Year, Population ...

Demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.[38]

  • One birth every 46 seconds
  • One death every 3 minutes
  • One net migrant every 16 minutes
  • Net gain of one person every 1 minutes

The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[39] unless otherwise indicated.

Population

18,100,000 (2023 est.)[1]
11,259,029 (July 2018 est.)
10,428,043 (2014 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim (Islam) (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter)

Age structure

Population pyramid of Somalia in 2020
0-14 years: 42.38% (male 2,488,604/female 2,493,527)
15-24 years: 19.81% (male 1,167,807/female 1,161,040)
25-54 years: 30.93% (male 1,881,094/female 1,755,166)
55-64 years: 4.61% (male 278,132/female 264,325)
65 years and over: 2.27% (2020 est.) (male 106,187/female 161,242)
0-14 years: 42.87% (male 2,410,215 /female 2,416,629)
15-24 years: 19.35% (male 1,097,358 /female 1,081,762)
25-54 years: 31.23% (male 1,821,823 /female 1,694,873)
55-64 years: 4.35% (male 245,744 /female 243,893)
65 years and over: 2.19% (male 95,845 /female 150,887) (2018 est.)

Birth rate

37.98 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 8th
39.3 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 9th
40.87 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Death rate

11.62 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 17th
12.8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
13.91 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.22 children born/woman (2023 est.) Country comparison to the world: 8th
5.31 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 9th
5.7 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 6th

Population growth rate

2.42% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 27th
2.08% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 45th
1.75% (2014 est.)

Median age

total: 18.5 years. Country comparison to the world: 210th
male: 18.7 years
female: 18.3 years (2020 est.)
Total: 18.2 years. Country comparison to the world: 211th
Male: 18.4 years
Female: 18 years (2018 est.)

Net migration rate

-2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 171st
-5.6 migrants/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 199th
-9.51 migrants/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

6.9% (2018/19)

Dependency ratios

Total dependency ratio: 97.4 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 92.1 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.3 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 18.8 (2015 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 47.3% of total population (2022)
rate of urbanization: 4.2% annual rate of change (2020–25 est.)
Urban population: 45% of total population (2018)
Rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change (2015–20 est.)
Urban population: 37.7% of total population (2011)
Rate of urbanization: 3.79 annual rate of change (2010–15 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.03 males/female
Under 15 years: 1 male/female
15–64 years: 1.07 males/female
65 years and over: 0.66 males/female
Total population: 1.01 males/female (2015 est. )

Infant mortality rate

Total: 93 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 101.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 84.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 55.72 years. Country comparison to the world: 225th male: 53.39 years female: 58.12 years (2022 est.)

Total population: 53.2 years
Male: 51 years
Female: 55.4 years (2018 est.)
Total population: 51.58 years
Male: 49.58 years
Female: 53.65 years (2014 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high (2020)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
animal contact diseases: rabies

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Somalia is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

11,000 (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS – deaths

<1000 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vector-borne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

Nationality

Noun: Somali (singular) or Somali (plural)
Adjective: Somali

Ethnic groups

Languages


Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: N/A[42]

See also


Notes

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

  1. "World Population Dashboard Somalia". unfpa.org. United Nations Population Fund. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  2. Govt. Somalia, UNFPA (30 April 2020). "The Somali Health and Demographic Survey 2020". reliefweb.int.
  3. "The centre holds, but only just". The Economist. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. "Somalia". World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  5. Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001). Culture and Customs of Somalia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 142. ISBN 0313313334.
  6. Ioan M. Lewis, Blood and Bone: The Call of Kinship in Somali Society, (Red Sea Press: 1994), p.51
  7. Schlee, Günther (1989). Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya. Manchester University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7190-3010-9.
  8. Lewisfirst1=I. M. (1999). A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa. James Currey Publishers. pp. 11–14. ISBN 0852552807. Retrieved 8 July 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. Pham, J. Peter (2011). "State Collapse, Insurgency, and Famine in the Horn of Africa: Legitimacy and the Ongoing Somali Crisis". The Journal of the Middle East and Africa. 2 (2): 153–187. doi:10.1080/21520844.2011.617238. S2CID 154845182.
  10. Lewis, I. M.; Said Samatar (1999). A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa. LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster. pp. 11–13. ISBN 3-8258-3084-5.
  11. I.M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali, fourth edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), p. 23
  12. Laitin, David D. & Samatar, Said S. (1987). Somalia: Nation in Search of a State, Colorado: Westview Press. ISBN 0-86531-555-8
  13. Adam, Hussein Mohamed (1997). Mending rips in the sky: options for Somali communities in the 21st century. Red Sea Press. ISBN 9781569020739. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  14. Adam, Hussein Mohamed; Ford, Richard (1997-01-01). Mending rips in the sky: options for Somali communities in the 21st century. Red Sea Press. p. 127. ISBN 9781569020739.
  15. Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995-01-01). The Invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. p. 121. ISBN 9780932415998.
  16. Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995-01-01). The Invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780932415998.
  17. Hayward, R. J.; Lewis, I. M. (2005-08-17). Voice and Power. Routledge. p. 242. ISBN 9781135751753.
  18. The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Keyna http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf Archived 2018-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  19. "Dynamics and Trends of Conflict in Greater Mandera" (PDF). Amani Papers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  20. Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995-01-01). The Invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. p. 122. ISBN 9780932415998.
  21. Richard Burton, First Footsteps in East Africa, 1856; edited with an introduction and additional chapters by Gordon Waterfield (New York: Praeger, 1966), p. 165
  22. Gundel, Joakim (2009). "Clans in Somalia" (PDF). Austrian Red Cross. Revised Edition: 19.
  23. Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001). Culture and Customs of Somalia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 9. ISBN 0313313334.
  24. Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa (1st ed.). Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
  25. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-12-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Country Information and Policy Unit, Home Office, Great Britain, Somalia Assessment 2001, Annex B: Somali Clan Structure], p. 43; and Worldbank Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics, January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, pp. 56–58
  26. Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995-01-01). The Invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. ISBN 9780932415998.
  27. Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001). Culture and Customs of Somalia. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 8–11. ISBN 0313313334.
  28. Central Intelligence Agency (2011). "Somalia". The World Factbook. Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  29. I. M. Lewis, Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somalis, Afar and Saho, (Red Sea Press: 1998), p. 11.
  30. Helena Dubnov, A grammatical sketch of Somali, (Kِppe: 2003), pp. 70–71.
  31. Diana Briton Putman, Mohamood Cabdi Noor, The Somalis: their history and culture, (Center for Applied Linguistics: 1993), p. 15.: "Somalis speak Somali. Many people also speak Arabic, and educated Somalis usually speak either English or Italian as well. Swahili may also be spoken in coastal areas near Kenya."
  32. Fiona MacDonald et al., Peoples of Africa, Volume 10, (Marshall Cavendish: 2000), p. 178.
  33. "World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision" (PDF) (Press release). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. 2011-05-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-06.
  34. "Somalia Population 2022", World Population Review
  35. "The World FactBook – Somalia", The World Factbook, 2022Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  36. "Africa – SOMALIA". CIA The World Factbook. 24 January 2023.
  37. "The Federal Republic of Somalia - Provisional Constitution" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2012. The official language of the Federal Republic of Somalia is Somali (Maay and Maxaa-tiri), and Arabic is the second language.
  38. No reliable data on nationwide literacy rate. 2013 FSNAU survey indicates considerable differences per region, with the autonomous northeastern Puntland region having the highest registered literacy rate (72%).

References


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