Life in Somalia: Every Number That Shapes It (1800–2100)

The raw data of Somalia reveals a transformation in the texture of daily existence. Across three centuries, the transition is marked by shifts in basic survival and capacity. A child born in Somalia in the 2020s can expect to live 62 years on an average income of 3,800 international dollars. While systemic challenges remain, these metrics trace a path from a period where life expectancy was 36 years to the present, fundamentally altering the trajectory of individual potential and the cumulative footprint of the population as they navigate the modern world.

The historical arc shows a society in motion. Since the 1950s, extreme poverty has fallen from 75 to 35 %. Progress is evident in education, where years of schooling moved from 1.2 to 6 years, and public health, as child mortality dropped from 320 to 75 per 1,000 births. Urbanization has shifted from 11 to 41 %, while infrastructure reaches further, with electricity at home rising from 3 to 48 % and internet access growing from 0 to 29 %. These figures chart a structural evolution across the generations.

For an individual, these shifts define the boundaries of experience. While the children per woman rate has declined from 6.6 to 4.6 births, the daily rhythm of labor has softened slightly, with annual working hours moving from 2,200 to 2,050 hours/year. Biological markers show average male height rising from 167 to 169 cm, and societal stability is reflected as the homicide rate moved from 11 to 9.5 per 100,000. You are invited to see your parallel life in Somalia to understand the true weight of these shifting human statistics.