Statizoid

Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia

Somalia: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 56.35 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
56.35 years
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
231st
of 236 countries
All-time high
56.35 years
in 2023
All-time low
23.71 years
in 1991
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Somalia recorded 56.35 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.8% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia peaked at 56.35 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 23.71 years, in 1991.

That places Somalia 231st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia, year by year

Year years Change
1950 39.99 years —
1951 40.21 years +0.5%
1952 40.42 years +0.5%
1953 40.63 years +0.5%
1954 40.84 years +0.5%
1955 41.06 years +0.5%
1956 41.27 years +0.5%
1957 41.48 years +0.5%
1958 41.69 years +0.5%
1959 41.89 years +0.5%
1960 42.1 years +0.5%
1961 42.21 years +0.3%
1962 42.51 years +0.7%
1963 42.74 years +0.5%
1964 42.94 years +0.5%
1965 43.17 years +0.6%
1966 43.39 years +0.5%
1967 43.6 years +0.5%
1968 43.8 years +0.5%
1969 44 years +0.5%
1970 44.19 years +0.4%
1971 44.38 years +0.4%
1972 44.58 years +0.4%
1973 44.77 years +0.4%
1974 42.85 years -4.3%
1975 43.08 years +0.5%
1976 43.32 years +0.6%
1977 45.56 years +5.2%
1978 45.42 years -0.3%
1979 45.97 years +1.2%
1980 46.17 years +0.5%
1981 46.39 years +0.5%
1982 46.59 years +0.4%
1983 46.8 years +0.5%
1984 47.01 years +0.5%
1985 46.88 years -0.3%
1986 47.02 years +0.3%
1987 47.56 years +1.2%
1988 39.86 years -16.2%
1989 42.94 years +7.7%
1990 43.13 years +0.4%
1991 23.71 years -45.0%
1992 23.88 years +0.7%
1993 49.05 years +105.5%
1994 48.81 years -0.5%
1995 49.09 years +0.6%
1996 48.97 years -0.2%
1997 48.8 years -0.3%
1998 49.3 years +1.0%
1999 49.15 years -0.3%
2000 49.33 years +0.4%
2001 49.41 years +0.2%
2002 49.4 years -0.0%
2003 49.23 years -0.3%
2004 49.16 years -0.1%
2005 49.39 years +0.5%
2006 49.31 years -0.2%
2007 49.22 years -0.2%
2008 49.77 years +1.1%
2009 50.5 years +1.5%
2010 47.07 years -6.8%
2011 31.29 years -33.5%
2012 47.32 years +51.2%
2013 52.12 years +10.1%
2014 52.39 years +0.5%
2015 53.04 years +1.2%
2016 53.09 years +0.1%
2017 50.18 years -5.5%
2018 52.69 years +5.0%
2019 55.24 years +4.8%
2020 55.08 years -0.3%
2021 53.72 years -2.5%
2022 51.79 years -3.6%
2023 56.35 years +8.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 40.95 years 39.99 years 41.89 years 10
1960s 43.05 years 42.1 years 44 years 10
1970s 44.41 years 42.85 years 45.97 years 10
1980s 45.72 years 39.86 years 47.56 years 10
1990s 43.39 years 23.71 years 49.3 years 10
2000s 49.47 years 49.16 years 50.5 years 10
2010s 49.44 years 31.29 years 55.24 years 10
2020s 54.24 years 51.79 years 56.35 years 4

Countries ranked near Somalia

  1. 228 Benin 59.35 years compare
  2. 229 Mali 59.04 years compare
  3. 230 Burkina Faso 58.92 years compare
  4. 232 Central African Republic 55.26 years compare
  5. 233 South Sudan 54.64 years compare
  6. 234 Lesotho 54.62 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Somalia

All data for Somalia →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia?
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia was 56.35 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Somalia?
The highest recorded value was 56.35 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Somalia?
The lowest recorded value was 23.71 years in 1991.
How does Somalia rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
Somalia ranks 231st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Somalia?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Somalia data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Somalia. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/female-and-male-life-expectancy-at-birth-in-years/somalia-fed-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, by sex
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Period life expectancy at birth.