Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia
Somalia: Female and male life expectancy at birth in years was 56.35 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
56.35
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
231st
of 236 countries
All-time high
56.35
in 2023
All-time low
23.71
in 1991
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 56.35 for female and male life expectancy at birth in years 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, female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia peaked at 56.35 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 23.71, 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.
Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 39.99 | — |
| 1951 | 40.21 | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 40.42 | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 40.63 | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 40.84 | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 41.06 | +0.5% |
| 1956 | 41.27 | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 41.48 | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 41.69 | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 41.89 | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 42.1 | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 42.21 | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 42.51 | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 42.74 | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 42.94 | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 43.17 | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 43.39 | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 43.6 | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 43.8 | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 44 | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 44.19 | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 44.38 | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 44.58 | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 44.77 | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 42.85 | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 43.08 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 43.32 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 45.56 | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 45.42 | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 45.97 | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 46.17 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 46.39 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 46.59 | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 46.8 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 47.01 | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 46.88 | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 47.02 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 47.56 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 39.86 | -16.2% |
| 1989 | 42.94 | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 43.13 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 23.71 | -45.0% |
| 1992 | 23.88 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 49.05 | +105.5% |
| 1994 | 48.81 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 49.09 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 48.97 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 48.8 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 49.3 | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 49.15 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 49.33 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 49.41 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 49.4 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 49.23 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 49.16 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 49.39 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 49.31 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 49.22 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 49.77 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 50.5 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 47.07 | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 31.29 | -33.5% |
| 2012 | 47.32 | +51.2% |
| 2013 | 52.12 | +10.1% |
| 2014 | 52.39 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 53.04 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 53.09 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 50.18 | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 52.69 | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 55.24 | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 55.08 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 53.72 | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 51.79 | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 56.35 | +8.8% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 56.35 is below the median for low income countries, which is 61.66, 91% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 56.35 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.07, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +105.5% | 23.88 | 49.05 |
| 2012 | +51.2% | 31.29 | 47.32 |
| 1991 | -45.0% | 43.13 | 23.71 |
| 2011 | -33.5% | 47.07 | 31.29 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.95 | 39.99 | 41.89 | 10 |
| 1960s | 43.05 | 42.1 | 44 | 10 |
| 1970s | 44.41 | 42.85 | 45.97 | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.72 | 39.86 | 47.56 | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.39 | 23.71 | 49.3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.47 | 49.16 | 50.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.44 | 31.29 | 55.24 | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.24 | 51.79 | 56.35 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 228 Benin 59.35 compare
- 229 Mali 59.04 compare
- 230 Burkina Faso 58.92 compare
- 232 Central African Republic 55.26 compare
- 233 South Sudan 54.64 compare
- 234 Lesotho 54.62 compare
More health data for Somalia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8681 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 32,421 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 182 (2013)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0897 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0926 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia?
- Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Somalia was 56.35 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female and male life expectancy at birth in years recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 56.35 in 2023.
- What is the lowest female and male life expectancy at birth in years recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.71 in 1991.
- How does Somalia rank for female and male life expectancy at birth in years?
- Somalia ranks 231st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is female and male life expectancy at birth in years 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Female and male life expectancy at birth in years. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).