2018 Edition

CIA World Factbook 2018 Archive (Wayback Machine)

1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Countries

268

Data Records

69,324

Somalia

2018 Edition · 276 data fields

View Current Profile

Introduction

Background

Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule characterized by the persecution, jailing, and torture of political opponents and dissidents. After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring semi-autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims the regions of Sool and Sanaag, and portions of Togdheer. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in south-central Somalia) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored.In 2000, the Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim government, known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions, the Government of Kenya, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), led a subsequent peace process that concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of a second interim government, known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while UN-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January 2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union (ICU), withdrew from the country. The TFP was doubled in size to 550 seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed, the former ICU and ARS chairman as president in January 2009. The creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which outlined a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. In 2009, the TFP amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011 and in 2011 Somali principals agreed to institute political transition by August 2012. The transition process ended in September 2012 when clan elders replaced the TFP by appointing 275 members to a new parliament who subsequently elected a new president.

Geography

Area

land: 627,337 sq km
total: 637,657 sq km
water: 10,320 sq km

Area Comparative

almost five times the size of Alabama; slightly smaller than Texas

Climate

principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

Coastline

3,025 km

Elevation

elevation extremes: 0 m lowest point: Indian Ocean
mean elevation: 410 m
note: 2416 highest point: Shimbiris

Environment Current Issues

water scarcity; contaminated water contributes to human health problems; improper waste disposal; deforestation; land degradation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment International Agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic Coordinates

10 00 N, 49 00 E

Geography Note

strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

Irrigated Land

2,000 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

border countries (3): Djibouti 61 km, Ethiopia 1640 km, Kenya 684 km
total: 2,385 km

Land Use

arable land: 1.8% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 68.5% (2011 est.)
agricultural land: 70.3% (2011 est.)
forest: 10.6% (2011 est.)
other: 19.1% (2011 est.)

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Map References

Africa

Maritime Claims

territorial sea: 200 nm

Natural Hazards

recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season

Natural Resources

uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves

Population Distribution

distribution varies greatly throughout the country; least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border; most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa

Terrain

mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

People and Society

Age Structure

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

39.3 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Children Under The Age Of 5 Years Underweight

23% (2009)

Death Rate

12.8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Demographic Profile

Somalia scores very low for most humanitarian indicators, suffering from poor governance, protracted internal conflict, underdevelopment, economic decline, poverty, social and gender inequality, and environmental degradation. Despite civil war and famine raising its mortality rate, Somalia’s high fertility rate and large proportion of people of reproductive age maintain rapid population growth, with each generation being larger than the prior one. More than 60% of Somalia’s population is younger than 25, and the fertility rate is among the world’s highest at almost 6 children per woman – a rate that has decreased little since the 1970s.A lack of educational and job opportunities is a major source of tension for Somalia’s large youth cohort, making them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and pirate groups. Somalia has one of the world’s lowest primary school enrollment rates – just over 40% of children are in school – and one of world’s highest youth unemployment rates. Life expectancy is low as a result of high infant and maternal mortality rates, the spread of preventable diseases, poor sanitation, chronic malnutrition, and inadequate health services.During the two decades of conflict that followed the fall of the SIAD regime in 1991, hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes. Today Somalia is the world’s third highest source country for refugees, after Syria and Afghanistan. Insecurity, drought, floods, food shortages, and a lack of economic opportunities are the driving factors.As of 2016, more than 1.1 million Somali refugees were hosted in the region, mainly in Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Uganda, while more than 1.1 million Somalis were internally displaced. Since the implementation of a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement among Kenya, Somalia, and the UNHCR in 2013, nearly 40,000 Somali refugees have returned home from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp – still houses to approximately 260,000 Somalis. The flow sped up rapidly after the Kenyan Government in May 2016 announced its intention to close the camp, worsening security and humanitarian conditions in receiving communities in south-central Somalia. Despite the conflict in Yemen, thousands of Somalis and other refugees and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen and beyond (often Saudi Arabia). Bossaso in Puntland overtook Obock, Djibouti, as the primary departure point in mid-2014.

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio: 5.3 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio: 18.8 (2015 est.)
total dependency ratio: 97.4 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 92.1 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

improved: urban: 69.6% of population

rural: 8.8% of population

total: 31.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 30.4% of population

rural: 91.2% of population

total: 68.3% of population (2011 est.)

Education Expenditures

Ethnic Groups

Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including 30,000 Arabs)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

0.1% (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids Deaths

<1000 (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

11,000 (2017 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

8.7 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Infant Mortality Rate

female: 84.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
male: 101.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
total: 93 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Somali (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter), Arabic (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter), Italian, English

Life Expectancy At Birth

female: 55.4 years (2018 est.)
male: 51 years (2018 est.)
total population: 53.2 years (2018 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases

animal contact diseases: rabies (2016)
degree of risk: very high (2016)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever (2016)
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever (2016)
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis (2016)

Major Urban Areas Population

2.082 million MOGADISHU (capital) (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

732 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median Age

female: 18 years (2018 est.)
male: 18.4 years
total: 18.2 years

Nationality

adjective: Somali
noun: Somali(s)

Net Migration Rate

-6.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

8.3% (2016)

Physicians Density

0.03 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Population

11,259,029 (July 2018 est.)
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare

Population Growth Rate

2.08% (2018 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation Facility Access

improved: urban: 52% of population (2011 est.)

rural: 6.3% of population (2011 est.)

total: 23.6% of population (2011 est.)

unimproved: urban: 48% of population (2011 est.)

rural: 93.7% of population (2011 est.)

total: 76.4% of population (2011 est.)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

5.7 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
urban population: 45% of total population (2018)

Government

Administrative Divisions

18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Jubba), Jubbada Hoose (Lower Jubba), Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe (Middle Shabeelle), Shabeellaha Hoose (Lower Shabeelle), Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed

Capital

geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 20 E
name: Mogadishu
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Somalia
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Constitution

amendments: proposed by the federal government, by members of the state governments, the Federal Parliament, or by public petition; proposals require review by a joint committee of Parliament with inclusion of public comments and state legislatures’ comments; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament and approval by a majority of votes cast in a referendum; constitutional clauses on Islamic principles, the federal system, human rights and freedoms, powers and authorities of the government branches, and inclusion of women in national institutions cannot be amended (2017)
history: previous 1961, 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012, approved 1 August 2012 (provisional) (2017)

Country Name

conventional long form: Federal Republic of Somalia
conventional short form: Somalia
etymology: "Land of the Somali" (ethnic group)
former: Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic
local long form: Jamhuuriyadda Federaalkaa Soomaaliya
local short form: Soomaaliya

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO (since 18 November 2018)
note: the US Mission to Somalia operates out of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

chancery: 425 East 61st Street, Suite 702, New York City, NY 10021
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Run Said KORSHEL (since 16 February 2018)
FAX: [1] (212) 759-0651
telephone: [1] (212) 688-9410, 688-5046

Executive Branch

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by the House of the People
chief of state: President Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" (since 8 February 2017)
election results: Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" elected president in second round; Federal Parliament second round vote - Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" (TPP) 184, HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (PDP) 97, Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed (ARS) 46
elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament by two-thirds majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term; election last held on 8 February 2017 (previously scheduled for 30 September 2016 but postponed repeatedly); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of the People
head of government: Prime Minister Hassan Ali KHAYRE (since 1 March 2017)

Flag Description

light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; the blue field was originally influenced by the flag of the UN but today is said to denote the sky and the neighboring Indian Ocean; the five points of the star represent the five regions in the horn of Africa that are inhabited by Somali people: the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland (which together make up Somalia), Djibouti, Ogaden (Ethiopia), and the North East Province (Kenya)

Government Note

regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various areas of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia

Government Type

federal parliamentary republic

Independence

1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland that became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960 and Italian Somaliland that became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic)

International Law Organization Participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

International Organization Participation

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU (candidate), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

Judicial Branch

highest courts: the provisional constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court (consists of 5 judges, including the chief judge and deputy chief judge); note - under the terms of the 2004 Transitional National Charter, a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and the Appeal Court were established; yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Islamic law
judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president upon proposal of the Judicial Service Commission, a 9-member judicial and administrative body; judge tenure NA
subordinate courts: federal courts; federal member state-level courts; military courts; sharia courts

Legal System

mixed legal system of civil law, Islamic law, and customary law (referred to as Xeer)

Legislative Branch

description: bicameral Federal Parliament to consist of:Upper House (54 seats; senators indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 4-year terms) House of the People (275 seats; members indirectly elected by regional delegates to serve 4-year terms)
election results: Upper House - NA House of the People - NA
elections: Upper House - first held 10 October 2016 (next NA) House of the People - first held 23 October - 10 November 2016 (next NA)
note: the inaugural House of the People was appointed in September 2012 by clan elders; in 2016 and 2017, the Federal Parliament became bicameral with elections scheduled for 10 October 2016 for the Upper House and 23 October to 10 November 2016 for the House of the People; while the elections were delayed, they were eventually held in most regions despite voting irregularities; on 27 December 2016, 41 Upper House senators and 242 House of the People members were sworn in

National Anthem

lyrics/music: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE
name: "Qolobaa Calankeed" (Every Nation Has its own Flag)
note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

National Holiday

Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960)note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland

National Symbol S

leopard; national colors: blue, white

Political Parties And Leaders

Cosmopolitan Democratic Party [Yarow Sharef ADEN]Daljir Party or DP [Hassan MOALIM]Democratic Green Party of Somalia or DGPS [Abdullahi Y. MAHAMOUD]Democratic Party of Somalia or DPS [Maslah Mohamed SIAD]Green Leaf for Democracy or GLEDHiil QaranJustice and Communist Party [Mohamed NUR]Justice and Development of Democracy and Self-Respectfulness Party or CAHDI [Abdirahman Abdigani IBRAHIM Bile]Liberal Party of SomaliaNational Unity Party (Xisbiga MIdnimo-Quaran) [Abdurahman BAADIYOW]Peace and Development Party or PDPSomali National Party or SNP [Mohammed Ameen Saeed AHMED]Somali People's Party [Mahamud Hassan RAGE]Somali Green Party (local chapter of Federation of Green Parties of Africa)Tayo or TPP [Mohamed Abdullahi MOHAMED]Tiir Party [Fadhil Sheik MOHAMUD]United and Democratic Party [Salad Ali JELLE]United Somali Parliamentariansinactive: Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia; reportedly inactive since 2009

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Economy

Agriculture Products

bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish

Budget

expenditures: 151.1 million (2014 est.)
revenues: 145.3 million (2014 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-0.1% (of GDP) (2014 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

note: NA

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

note: NA

Current Account Balance

-$464 million (2017 est.)

-$427 million (2016 est.)

Debt External

$5.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Economy Overview

Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia maintains an informal economy largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Somalia's government lacks the ability to collect domestic revenue and external debt – mostly in arrears – was estimated at about 77% of GDP in 2017.Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Economic activity is estimated to have increased by 2.4% in 2017 because of growth in the agriculture, construction and telecommunications sector. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and the machinery sold as scrap metal.In recent years, Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, has witnessed the development of the city's first gas stations, supermarkets, and airline flights to Turkey since the collapse of central authority in 1991. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Formalized economic growth has yet to expand outside of Mogadishu and a few regional capitals, and within the city, security concerns dominate business. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country, handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually, although international concerns over the money transfers into Somalia continues to threaten these services’ ability to operate in Western nations. In 2017, Somalia elected a new president and collected a record amount of foreign aid and investment, a positive sign for economic recovery.

Exchange Rates

Somali shillings (SOS) per US dollar -

23,960 (2016 est.)

Exports

$819 million (2014 est.)

$779 million (2013 est.)

Exports Commodities

livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal

Exports Partners

Oman 31.7%, Saudi Arabia 18.7%, UAE 16.3%, Nigeria 5.1%, Yemen 4.8%, Pakistan 4% (2017)

Fiscal Year

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services: 0.3% (2015 est.)
government consumption: 8.7% (2015 est.)
household consumption: 72.6% (2015 est.)
imports of goods and services: -1.6% (2015 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 20% (2015 est.)
investment in inventories: 0.8% (2016 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture: 60.2% (2013 est.)
industry: 7.4% (2013 est.)
services: 32.5% (2013 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$7.052 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$NA (2017)

$NA (2016)

$NA (2015)

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$20.44 billion (2017 est.); $19.98 billion (2016 est.); $19.14 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2016 US dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

2.3% (2017 est.)

4.4% (2016 est.)

3.9% (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA

Imports

$94.43 billion (2018 est.)

$80.07 billion (2017 est.)

Imports Commodities

manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat

Imports Partners

China 17.6%, India 17.2%, Ethiopia 10.5%, Oman 10.3%, Kenya 6.9%, Turkey 5.3%, Malaysia 4.1% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

3.5% (2014 est.)

Industries

light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

1.5% (2017 est.)

-71.1% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

4.154 million (2016 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture: 71%
industry: 29%
industry and services: 29% (1975)

Population Below Poverty Line

Public Debt

76.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

93% of GDP (2014 est.)

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

$30.45 million (2014 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

note: NA

Taxes And Other Revenues

2.1% (of GDP) (2014 est.)

Unemployment Rate

note: NA

Energy

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
total: 92,000 (2017 est.)

Broadcast Media

2 private TV stations rebroadcast Al-Jazeera and CNN; Somaliland has 1 government-operated TV station and Puntland has 1 private TV station; the transitional government operates Radio Mogadishu; 1 SW and roughly 10 private FM radio stations broadcast in Mogadishu; several radio stations operate in central and southern regions; Somaliland has 1 government-operated radio station; Puntland has roughly a half-dozen private radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet Country Code

.so

Internet Users

percent of population: 1.9% (July 2016 est.)
total: 203,366 (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic: seven networks compete for customers in the mobile sector; some of these mobile-service providers offer fixed-line and Internet services (2016)
general assessment: the public telecom system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private companies offer limited local fixed-line service, and private wireless companies offer service in most major cities, while charging some of the lowest rates on the continent (2016)
international: country code - 252; Mogadishu is a landing point for the EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable system linking East Africa with Europe and North America; this connection ended the country's expensive satellite-dependent Internet access (2016)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2016 est.)
total subscriptions: 48,000 (July 2016 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (July 2016 est.)
total subscriptions: 6,653,040 (July 2016 est.)

Transportation

Airports

61 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
over 3,047 m: 4 (2013)
total: 6 (2013)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 (2013)
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 (2013)
914 to 1,523 m: 23 (2013)
over 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
total: 55 (2013)
under 914 m: 6 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

6O (2016)

Merchant Marine

by type: general cargo 2, other 3 (2017)
total: 5 (2017)

National Air Transport System

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 251,652 (2015)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015)

Ports And Terminals

major seaport(s): Berbera, Kismaayo

Roadways

paved: 2,608 km (2000)
total: 22,100 km (2000)
unpaved: 19,492 km (2000)

Military and Security

Maritime Threats

the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as a region of significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; during 2017, five vessels were attacked or hijacked compared with one in 2016; Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years; additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, have reduced piracy incidents in that body of water; Somali pirates tend to be heavily armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades; the use of "mother ships" from which skiffs can be launched to attack vessels allows these pirates to extend the range of their operations hundreds of nautical miles offshore

Military Branches

National Security Force (NSF): Somali National Army (2017)

Military Expenditures

0% of GDP (2016)

0% of GDP (2015)

0% of GDP (2014)

0% of GDP (2013)

Military Service Age And Obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2012)

Transnational Issues

Disputes International

Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007"Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states"Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claimsthe undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo regionKenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

IDPs: 2.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources; 2011 famine; insecurity because of fighting between al-Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Government's allied forces) (2018)
refugees (country of origin): 19,615 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 12,125 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2018)

Terrorism

Terrorist Groups Home Based

al-Shabaab: aim(s): discredit and destabilize the Federal Government of Somalia and target any countries or entities that support Somalia's fight against al-Shabaab; establish Islamic rule across Somaliaarea(s) of operation: a core al-Qa'ida affiliate that maintains strongholds in rural areas in the south, where it controls a large swathe of the Lower and Middle Juba and Lower Shabelle regions; responsible for numerous high-profile bombings and shootings throughout Somalia and in the northeast in Puntland State (April 2018)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) networks in Somalia: aim(s): replace the Federal Government of Somalia with an Islamic state and implement ISIS's strict interpretation of Sharia; replace al-Shabaab as the dominant armed opposition to federal authority in Somaliaarea(s) of operation: directs operations, recruitment, and training from Puntland, the semiautonomous region in the northeast; conducts sporadic attacks against African Union and Somali Government personnel throughout the country (April 2018)