Statizoid

Median age in Somalia

Somalia: Median age was 15.45 years in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
15.45 years
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
233rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
18.53 years
in 1950
All-time low
14.47 years
in 2008
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in Somalia, 1950–2023

05101520195019862023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for median age in Somalia is 15.45 years, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in Somalia peaked at 18.53 years in 1950 and was at its lowest, 14.47 years, in 2008.

Somalia ranks 233rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Median age in Somalia, year by year

Year years Change
1950 18.53 years —
1951 18.32 years -1.1%
1952 18.12 years -1.1%
1953 17.94 years -1.0%
1954 17.78 years -0.9%
1955 17.65 years -0.7%
1956 17.55 years -0.6%
1957 17.44 years -0.6%
1958 17.3 years -0.8%
1959 17.15 years -0.9%
1960 16.99 years -1.0%
1961 16.82 years -1.0%
1962 16.67 years -0.9%
1963 16.54 years -0.8%
1964 16.44 years -0.6%
1965 16.36 years -0.5%
1966 16.3 years -0.4%
1967 16.3 years +0.0%
1968 16.35 years +0.3%
1969 16.4 years +0.3%
1970 16.45 years +0.3%
1971 16.48 years +0.2%
1972 16.52 years +0.2%
1973 16.54 years +0.1%
1974 16.57 years +0.2%
1975 16.59 years +0.2%
1976 16.61 years +0.1%
1977 16.61 years +0.0%
1978 16.59 years -0.2%
1979 16.54 years -0.2%
1980 16.49 years -0.3%
1981 16.43 years -0.4%
1982 16.35 years -0.5%
1983 16.27 years -0.5%
1984 16.18 years -0.5%
1985 16.09 years -0.6%
1986 15.99 years -0.6%
1987 15.88 years -0.7%
1988 15.75 years -0.8%
1989 15.59 years -1.0%
1990 15.43 years -1.0%
1991 15.43 years +0.0%
1992 15.61 years +1.2%
1993 15.64 years +0.2%
1994 15.54 years -0.7%
1995 15.46 years -0.5%
1996 15.38 years -0.5%
1997 15.32 years -0.4%
1998 15.26 years -0.4%
1999 15.21 years -0.3%
2000 15.16 years -0.3%
2001 15.12 years -0.3%
2002 15.08 years -0.3%
2003 15.03 years -0.3%
2004 14.98 years -0.3%
2005 14.9 years -0.5%
2006 14.75 years -1.0%
2007 14.56 years -1.3%
2008 14.47 years -0.6%
2009 14.49 years +0.1%
2010 14.55 years +0.4%
2011 14.71 years +1.1%
2012 14.87 years +1.1%
2013 14.93 years +0.3%
2014 14.96 years +0.2%
2015 15 years +0.2%
2016 15.04 years +0.3%
2017 15.09 years +0.4%
2018 15.16 years +0.4%
2019 15.21 years +0.4%
2020 15.27 years +0.3%
2021 15.31 years +0.3%
2022 15.37 years +0.4%
2023 15.45 years +0.5%

Somalia compared with similar countries

  • Somalia's 15.45 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 17.97 years, 86% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Somalia's 15.45 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.22 years, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 17.78 years 17.15 years 18.53 years 10
1960s 16.52 years 16.3 years 16.99 years 10
1970s 16.55 years 16.45 years 16.61 years 10
1980s 16.1 years 15.59 years 16.49 years 10
1990s 15.43 years 15.21 years 15.64 years 10
2000s 14.85 years 14.47 years 15.16 years 10
2010s 14.95 years 14.55 years 15.21 years 10
2020s 15.35 years 15.27 years 15.45 years 4

Countries ranked near Somalia

  1. 230 Burundi 15.9 years compare
  2. 231 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.77 years compare
  3. 232 Mali 15.47 years compare
  4. 234 Chad 15.4 years compare
  5. 235 Niger 15.25 years compare
  6. 236 Central African Republic 14.32 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Somalia

All data for Somalia →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in Somalia?
Median age in Somalia was 15.45 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in Somalia?
The highest recorded value was 18.53 years in 1950.
What is the lowest median age recorded in Somalia?
The lowest recorded value was 14.47 years in 2008.
How does Somalia rank for median age?
Somalia ranks 233rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in Somalia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Median age in Somalia. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/somalia-fed-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Median age
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

Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.