Somalia

federal parliamentary republic

name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 20 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name is probably derived from the Arabic word mukaddas , meaning "holy"

chief of state: President HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (since 23 May 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Hamza Abdi BARRE (since 25 June 2022) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by the House of the People election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament by two-thirds majority vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a single 4-year term; prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of the People most recent election date: 15 May 2022 election results: 2022: HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud elected president in third round - Federal Parliament percent of vote in first round - Said ABDULLAHI DENI (Kaah) 20.2%, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" (TPP) 18.3%, HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (PDP) 16.2%, Hassan Ali KHAYRE (independent) 14.6%, other 30.7%; Federal Parliament percent of vote in second round - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 34.1%, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" 25.7%, Said ABDULLAHI DENI 21%, Hassan Ali KHAYRE 19.2%; Federal Parliament percent of vote in third round - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 66%, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" 34% expected date of next election: 2026

legislature name: Federal Parliament legislative structure: bicameral note: despite the formation of political parties in 2020, the 2021 parliamentary elections maintained a primarily clan-based system of appointments; seats in the legislature were apportioned to Somali member states and not by party representation

highest court(s): the provisional constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court (consists of 5 judges, including the chief judge and deputy chief judge) judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president on 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 note: under the terms of the 2004 Transitional National Charter, a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and the Appeal Court were established, but most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, whether secular, Somali customary law, or Islamic law

history: previous 1961, 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012, adopted 1 August 2012 amendment process: 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

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU (candidate), EAC, 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, UNHRC, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

6% of GDP (2021 est.) 6% of GDP (2020 est.) 5.6% of GDP (2019 est.) 6% of GDP (2018 est.) 5.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

Somali Armed Forces (SAF; aka Somali Defense Force): Somali National Army (SNA; aka Land Forces), Somali Navy, Somali Air Force Ministry of Internal Security: Somali National Police (SNP, includes Coast Guard, commando unit) (2025) note 1: Somalia has numerous militias and regional/state forces operating throughout the country; the militias include clan- and warlord-based forces, as well as some that are externally sponsored; regional forces include semi-official paramilitary and special police forces ("darwish") note 2: Somaliland and Puntland have separate military, security, and paramilitary forces

18-22 for voluntary military service for men and women in the Somali Armed Forces; compulsory service is reportedly authorized, but not currently utilized (2025)

the primary responsibility of the Somali National Army (SNA) is combating the al-Shabaab terrorist group, which controls large portions of central and southern Somalia and continues to conduct attacks targeting both military and civilian sites, including military bases, government institutions, and civilian gatherings; the SNA is supported by the National Police, regional/state security forces, and allied militias, as well as international forces; some African Union (AU) countries have provided military assistance to the SNA since 2007 under the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM, 2007-2022), the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS, 2022-2024), and the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM, January 2025-present); Turkey and the US have also provided military support to SNA operations Turkey and the US have formed and trained SNA units, including the US-backed Danab ("Lightning") Brigade and the Turkish-trained Gorgor ("Eagle") brigades; SNA soldiers have also received training from Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the EU, Uganda, UAE, and the UK (2025)

$26.77 billion (2024 est.) $25.747 billion (2023 est.) $24.706 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$1,400 (2024 est.) $1,400 (2023 est.) $1,400 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

4% (2024 est.) 4.2% (2023 est.) 2.7% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

6.8% (2022 est.) 4.6% (2021 est.) 4.3% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

93% of GDP (2014 est.)

$2.424 billion (2024 est.) $2.164 billion (2023 est.) $1.804 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$9.002 billion (2024 est.) $8.002 billion (2023 est.) $7.456 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

18.9% (2024 est.) 19% (2023 est.) 19.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication

camel milk, milk, goat milk, sheep milk, sugarcane, fruits, sorghum, cassava, vegetables, maize (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 20,324,160 (2025 est.) male: 10,170,863 female: 10,153,297

3.32% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 41.4% (male 2,689,086/female 2,694,372) 15-64 years: 55.8% (male 3,699,721/female 3,568,163) 65 years and over: 2.8% (2024 est.) (male 157,505/female 208,426)

46.36 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.22 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 56.5 years (2024 est.) male: 54.1 years female: 59 years

urban population: 47.9% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

predominantly Somali with lesser numbers of Arabs, Bantus, and others

Somali (official), Arabic (official), Italian, English major-language sample(s): Buugga Xaqiiqda Aduunka, waa laga maarmaanka macluumaadka assasiga. (Somali) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Muslim 99.9% (Sunni Muslim 98.1%, Shia Muslim 1.2%, Islamic schismatic 0.6%), ethnic religionist 0.1% (2020 est.)

total population: 54.1% (2022 est.) male: 64.5% (2022 est.) female: 43.9% (2022 est.)

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

al-Shabaab; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham Somalia note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

tier rating: Special Case; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/somalia/

refugees: 41,763 (2024 est.) IDPs: 3,869,345 (2024 est.)

40 (2025)

total: 4 (2023) by type: general cargo 1, other 3

total subscriptions: 9.91 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 54 (2023 est.)

percent of population: 28% (2022 est.)