Somalia
Federal Republic of Somalia is a country in Eastern Africa, covered by the Atlas as part of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is home to about 15.3 m people. Its Human Development Index of 0.404 ranks it 192 of 193 countries (2023). Its political system is classified as closed autocracy.
- Political regime
- Closed autocracy
- All countries · 2025
V-Dem (Regimes of the World), via Our World in Data
Disputed territory. Somaliland declared independence in 1991 and governs itself. No state and no UN body has recognised it; the UN lists the territory as part of Somalia. Basis: UN practice; Somaliland is neither a member nor an observer state.
Regional profile
Sub-Saharan Africa
Somalia is part of Sub-Saharan Africa. Our editors write about the region as a whole — its story, topics and sources below cover all its countries.
View the whole region →The world's youngest region and the one that will supply most of the next generation of workers. Sub-Saharan Africa spans forty-nine countries with little in common beyond that label: stable middle-income democracies, fast-urbanising giants, and a Sahel belt where state authority is retreating. Mobile-first economies, a continental free-trade area and a scramble over critical minerals are rewriting how the region connects to the world.
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