Life Expectancy in Somalia, Fed. Rep. (2024): Men 56.5, Women 61.6

Life expectancy in Somalia, Fed. Rep. since 1960

Women
Men

Since 1960, life expectancy in Somalia, Fed. Rep. has risen by 15.5 years, from 43.5 to 59.0. During the COVID-19 pandemic it fell by 3.3 years (from 57.2 in 2019 to 53.9 in 2022) and has since recovered. Women live 5.1 years longer than men (61.6 vs 56.5).

Expected age at death in Somalia, Fed. Rep. by age

Life expectancy at birth includes deaths in childhood. Once people reach adulthood they can expect to live longer — here is the average expected age at death for people who have already reached each age:

Current age	Birth	20	40	60	80
Men	56.5	63.4	64.8	69.8	82.1
Women	61.6	69.0	70.1	73.6	83.6

Birth: World Bank. Other ages: our survival model calibrated to Somalia, Fed. Rep.’s figures (method).

How people die in Somalia, Fed. Rep.

Chronic diseases: 27.8%
Infections, maternal & nutritional: 62.2%
Injuries: 10%

In 2019, 28% of deaths in Somalia, Fed. Rep. were caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (world: 74%). A Somalia, Fed. Rep. man has a 28% chance and a woman 27% of dying of one of these diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 (world: 21% and 16%). Road traffic accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 each year (world: 16.7).

See which causes of death are most likely for you →

Child mortality

Out of every 1,000 babies born in Somalia, Fed. Rep., about 101.1 die before their fifth birthday (world: 37.4). This is one of the main reasons life expectancy at birth differs so much between countries.

Somalia, Fed. Rep. compared with its region

Somalia, Fed. Rep. is in the World Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa region, where the average life expectancy is 64.8 years. It ranks #43 of 48 countries there.

#	Country	Overall	Men	Women
39	Burkina Faso	61.3	59.1	63.4
40	Benin	61.0	59.5	62.4
41	Guinea	60.9	59.7	62.1
42	Mali	60.7	59.3	62.2
43	Somalia, Fed. Rep.	59.0	56.5	61.6
44	Lesotho	57.8	55.0	60.4
45	Central African Republic	57.7	55.5	59.6
46	South Sudan	57.7	54.8	60.7
47	Chad	55.2	53.4	57.2

See all 217 countries ranked →

Frequently asked questions

What is the life expectancy in Somalia, Fed. Rep.?

59.0 years in 2024: 56.5 for men and 61.6 for women, according to the World Bank.

Do women live longer than men in Somalia, Fed. Rep.?

Yes. Women in Somalia, Fed. Rep. live about 5.1 years longer than men. Worldwide the gap is 4.9 years in favour of women.

How does Somalia, Fed. Rep. rank for life expectancy?

Somalia, Fed. Rep. ranks #212 out of 217 countries and territories with data. That is 14.5 years below the world average of 73.5.

What is the average age of death in Somalia, Fed. Rep.?

Life expectancy at birth (59.0) is pulled down by deaths in childhood. Adults live longer: a 40-year-old man in Somalia, Fed. Rep. can expect to live to about 64.8, and a 40-year-old woman to about 70.1.

Sources

World Bank, World Development Indicators: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN), under-5 mortality (SH.DYN.MORT), causes of death (SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS, SH.DTH.INJR.ZS), mortality from major chronic diseases (SH.DYN.NCOM.MA.ZS, SH.DYN.NCOM.FE.ZS) and road traffic deaths (SH.STA.TRAF.P5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Link

Data updated October 25, 2026.