Somalia Country Profile

The Federal Republic of Somalia is located in Eastern Africa, in the Horn of Africa, bordering Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. The population is estimated at roughly 18.7 million people, making it the world’s 69th most populous country.

Mogadishu, the capital, is the most populous city, with 2.7 million inhabitants.

Somali and Arabic are the official languages although Italian and English may also be spoken depending on geographical location. Sunni Islam is the majority religion and also the state religion.

Somalia continues to be viewed as a very high-risk country owing to a myriad of factors including the security situation, weak state and economic inequality. There is a high risk of terrorism and violence across much of Somalia. Indeed, Somalia is ranked as the world’s second most fragile state.

Corruption is a major problem in the Somalian public and private sectors, an issue reflected by Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Index which ranked Somalia at 180 of 180.

The Somalian economy is extremely underdeveloped owing to years of civil war, famine and drought, with GDP totalling just US$10.2 billion and real GDP growth rates are low. The official currency is the Somali Shilling.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office on 16 September 2012, after being elected by the presidential election held on 10 September 2012.

The current leader is President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.

Meanwhile, Somaliland, in Somalia’s northwest, declared unilateral independence in 1991. Although not internationally recognised, Somaliland has relatively free and fair elections for the executive and legislative branches, security apparatuses, government institutions and its own currency, the Somaliland Shilling. The current president is Muse Bihi Abdi.

Reference

• https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/somalia-population/
• https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023