State Capacity Index in Somalia

Somalia: State Capacity Index was -2.1 in 2015. ▼ Falling

Latest (2015)
-2.1
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
166th
of 166 countries
All-time high
-0.5131
in 1981
All-time low
-2.31
in 2006
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Somalia, 1960–2015

-2.5-2-1.5-1-0.5196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, state capacity index in Somalia stood at -2.1.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Somalia peaked at -0.5131 in 1981 and was at its lowest, -2.31, in 2006.

Somalia ranks 166th of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.

State Capacity Index in Somalia, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Somalia, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -1.24
1961 -1.08 -12.8%
1962 -1.08 +0.2%
1963 -0.9053 -16.5%
1964 -0.8773 -3.1%
1965 -0.8851 +0.9%
1966 -0.8507 -3.9%
1967 -0.8447 -0.7%
1968 -0.8494 +0.6%
1969 -0.828 -2.5%
1970 -0.8606 +3.9%
1971 -0.8558 -0.6%
1972 -1.01 +18.6%
1973 -1.01 -0.2%
1974 -0.9363 -7.6%
1975 -0.9555 +2.1%
1976 -0.9279 -2.9%
1977 -0.9592 +3.4%
1978 -0.8834 -7.9%
1979 -0.5371 -39.2%
1980 -0.528 -1.7%
1981 -0.5131 -2.8%
1982 -0.5682 +10.7%
1983 -0.6108 +7.5%
1984 -0.6598 +8.0%
1985 -0.5389 -18.3%
1986 -0.5768 +7.0%
1987 -0.6082 +5.4%
1988 -0.5836 -4.0%
1989 -0.7291 +24.9%
1990 -0.8812 +20.9%
1991 -1.53 +73.6%
1992 -2.05 +34.1%
1993 -2.23 +8.5%
1994 -1.98 -11.1%
1995 -1.69 -14.6%
1996 -1.62 -3.9%
1997 -1.62 -0.2%
1998 -1.63 +0.5%
1999 -1.71 +4.7%
2000 -1.7 -0.1%
2001 -1.74 +2.2%
2002 -1.8 +3.7%
2003 -1.8 +0.1%
2004 -2.06 +14.1%
2005 -2.12 +2.8%
2006 -2.31 +9.1%
2007 -2.22 -3.9%
2008 -2.27 +2.5%
2009 -2.22 -2.2%
2010 -2.25 +1.1%
2011 -2.31 +2.7%
2012 -2.14 -7.3%
2013 -2.07 -3.4%
2014 -2.09 +1.2%
2015 -2.1 +0.1%

Somalia compared with similar countries

  • Somalia's -2.1 is below the median for low income countries, which is -0.5349, 3.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Somalia's -2.1 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.0931, 22.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index 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.

YearChange FromTo
1991 -73.6% -0.8812 -1.53
1979 +39.2% -0.8834 -0.5371
1992 -34.1% -1.53 -2.05

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -0.9447 -1.24 -0.828 10
1970s -0.8944 -1.01 -0.5371 10
1980s -0.5917 -0.7291 -0.5131 10
1990s -1.69 -2.23 -0.8812 10
2000s -2.03 -2.31 -1.7 10
2010s -2.16 -2.31 -2.07 6

Countries ranked near Somalia

  1. 163 South Sudan -1.37 compare
  2. 164 Yemen -1.44 compare
  3. 165 Central African Republic -1.54 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Somalia

All data for Somalia →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Somalia?
State capacity index in Somalia was -2.1 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Somalia?
The highest recorded value was -0.5131 in 1981.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Somalia?
The lowest recorded value was -2.31 in 2006.
How does Somalia rank for state capacity index?
Somalia ranks 166th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Somalia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Somalia data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Somalia. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/somalia-fed-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.