Country page · Sub-Saharan Africa
If you were born in Somalia
1 in 161 babies · 0.62% of births · about 832,300 a year
Right now, about 0.62% of the world's babies are born in Somalia — 1 in 161, or roughly 832,300 a year and 2,280 a day. Life expectancy there is 59.0 years.
How the 1 in 161 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Somalia has about 832,300 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.62% — 1 in 161. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Somalia, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 61.6 · men 56.5 | 59.0 years | 167th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 101.1 / 1,000 | 10.1% | 168th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 65.4 / 1,000 | 6.5% | 167th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 563 | 165th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 6.01 | 171st lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 2.5 years | 168th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 2.4% | 164th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $1,643 | 167th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | — | — |
| People living in cities | 55.1% | 113th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 30.0% | 112th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 27.9% | 151st highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | — | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 30.8% | 89th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.10% | 106th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | — | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Somalia compared with Sub-Saharan Africa
Life expectancy in Somalia is 59.0 years, against a Sub-Saharan Africa average of 0.0. The under-5 death rate is 10.1%, versus 0.0% across the region. Income per person is $1,643, against $0 regionally; expected schooling is 2.5 years against 0.0. 55.1% of people live in cities, against 0.0% in the region.
| Indicator | Somalia | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 59.0 years old | — | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 10.1% | — | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $1,643 | — | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 2.5 years | — | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 55.1% | — | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 59.0 years on average, with roughly 101.1 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 2.5 years of school, and income per person is around $1,643. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Somalia
The game draws Somalia in about 1 of every 161 births. From there the life runs year by year: 59.0 years of life expectancy on average, a 10.1% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $1,643 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Burkina Faso — 1 in 178
- Chance of being born in Zambia — 1 in 187
- Chance of being born in Chad — 1 in 148
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Somalia?
What is life expectancy in Somalia?
How many babies are born in Somalia each year?
Is Somalia a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.