Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) in Somalia
Somalia: Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) was 58.82 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita in Somalia, 1950–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 58.82 years for life expectancy vs. gdp per capita in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 9.1% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy vs. gdp per capita in Somalia peaked at 58.82 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.03 years, in 1992.
Somalia ranks 231st of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) in Somalia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.45 years | — |
| 1951 | 41.66 years | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 41.87 years | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 42.08 years | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 42.29 years | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 42.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1956 | 42.71 years | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 42.92 years | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 43.13 years | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 43.34 years | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 43.54 years | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 43.67 years | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 43.97 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 44.19 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 44.39 years | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 44.63 years | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 44.84 years | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 45.05 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 45.25 years | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 45.45 years | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 45.64 years | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 45.84 years | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 46.03 years | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 46.22 years | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 44.26 years | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 44.49 years | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 44.73 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 47 years | +5.1% |
| 1978 | 47.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 47.41 years | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 47.61 years | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 47.82 years | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 48.02 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 48.23 years | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 48.44 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 48.28 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 48.43 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 49 years | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 43.93 years | -10.3% |
| 1989 | 46.65 years | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 46.9 years | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 25.42 years | -45.8% |
| 1992 | 25.03 years | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 50.55 years | +101.9% |
| 1994 | 50.3 years | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 50.65 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 50.52 years | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 50.28 years | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 50.76 years | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 50.61 years | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 50.75 years | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 50.83 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 50.82 years | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 50.72 years | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 50.68 years | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 50.89 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 50.92 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 50.89 years | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 51.46 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 52.1 years | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 48.9 years | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 32.45 years | -33.6% |
| 2012 | 49.14 years | +51.4% |
| 2013 | 54.02 years | +9.9% |
| 2014 | 54.44 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 55.06 years | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 55.28 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 52.19 years | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 54.77 years | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 57.25 years | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 57.09 years | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 55.7 years | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 53.93 years | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 58.82 years | +9.1% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 58.82 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 63.65 years, 92% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 58.82 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 92% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) 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 | +101.9% | 25.03 years | 50.55 years |
| 2012 | +51.4% | 32.45 years | 49.14 years |
| 1991 | -45.8% | 46.9 years | 25.42 years |
| 2011 | -33.6% | 48.9 years | 32.45 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 42.4 years | 41.45 years | 43.34 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 44.5 years | 43.54 years | 45.45 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.86 years | 44.26 years | 47.41 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.64 years | 43.93 years | 49 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.1 years | 25.03 years | 50.76 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.01 years | 50.68 years | 52.1 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.35 years | 32.45 years | 57.25 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.39 years | 53.93 years | 58.82 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
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)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 32,421 deaths (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 life expectancy vs. gdp per capita in Somalia?
- Life expectancy vs. gdp per capita in Somalia was 58.82 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy vs. gdp per capita recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.82 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy vs. gdp per capita recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.03 years in 1992.
- How does Somalia rank for life expectancy vs. gdp per capita?
- Somalia ranks 231st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita. 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).
About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.