Somalia

http://www.humantruth.info/somalia.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Somalia
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	195th best
Capital	Mogadishu
Land Area	627 340km²₁
Location	Africa
Population	15.0m₂
Life Expectancy	55.28yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$1 018 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	SO, SOM, 706₅
Internet Domain	.so₆
Currency	Shilling (SOS)₇
Telephone	+252₈

1. Overview

“Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule characterized by the persecution, jailing, and torture of political opponents and dissidents. After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring semi-autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. In 2000, the Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim government, known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions, the Government of Kenya, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), led a subsequent peace process that concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of a second interim government, known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while United Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January 2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union (ICU), withdrew from the country. The TFP was doubled in size to 550 seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed, the former ICU and ARS chairman as president in January 2009. The creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which outlined a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. In 2009, the TFP amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011 and in 2011 Somali principals agreed to institute political transition by August 2012. The transition process ended in September 2012 when clan elders appointed 275 members to a new parliament replacing the TFP and the subsequent election, by parliament, of a new president.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“A nation troubled and torn asunder, ... Somalia... may be set to emerge from decades of torment and trauma that brought it to international attention - most notably as a country beset by famine and militias - but like Puntland (a neighbouring, semi-autonomous state that has been self-governing since 1998), the haunt of pirates and smugglers, Mogadishu and parts thereabouts remain firm no-go zones for all Westerners. Yet the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland has risen from the ashes by restoring law and order within its boundaries.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Somalia National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
186	Liberia	$1 289
187	Niger	$1 240
188	Mozambique	$1 198
189	Congo, DR	$1 076
190	Somalia	$1 018
191	Central African Rep.	$0 966
192	S. Sudan	$0 768
193	Burundi	$0 732
	Africa Avg	$5 339
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Norway	28.6
2	Denmark	30.0
3	Sweden	30.7
	...
188	Afghanistan	131.3
189	Central African Rep.	131.6
190	Eritrea	134.5
191	Chad	134.7
192	Equatorial Guinea	135.0
193	Tuvalu	135.8
194	S. Sudan	140.3
195	Somalia	152.8
	Africa Avg	110.5
	World Avg	86.8
q=195.

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Somalia's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Somalia's population is predicted to rise to 16.36 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 6.30. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
69	Cambodia	16.2m
70	Senegal	15.9m
71	Chad	15.5m
72	Somalia	15.0m
73	Zimbabwe	14.4m
74	Guinea	12.4m
75	Rwanda	12.3m
76	Tunisia	11.6m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
187	Guinea	58.9
188	Ivory Coast	58.6
189	Swaziland	57.1
190	Somalia	55.3
191	S. Sudan	55.0
192	Central African Rep.	53.9
193	Lesotho	53.1
194	Nigeria	52.7
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₃
Pos.		2013₁₃
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
173	Uganda	5.95
174	Malawi	5.98
175	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	5.99
176	Afghanistan	6.03
177	Mali	6.16
178	Zambia	6.30
179	Somalia	6.30
180	Niger	6.96
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₄
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₄
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
11	Zimbabwe	05.0
12	Nigeria	05.1
13=	Qatar	05.1
14	Somalia	05.4
15=	Togo	05.4
16	Ivory Coast	05.6
17=	Malawi	05.6
17=	Senegal	05.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₅
Pos.		2017 %₁₅
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
179	Haiti	0.4%
180	Brazil	0.4%
181	Eritrea	0.3%
182	Somalia	0.3%
183	Lesotho	0.3%
184	Peru	0.3%
185	Colombia	0.3%
186	Morocco	0.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₆
Pos.		2010 %₁₆
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
73	Slovakia	9.6%
74	Morocco	9.3%
75	Sri Lanka	9.1%
76	Somalia	8.7%
77	Kuwait	8.5%
78	Ecuador	8.3%
79	Poland	8.3%
80	Afghanistan	8.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #somalia #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₇
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₇
1	Sweden	9.0
2	Norway	14.5
3	Denmark	14.5
	...
194	Brunei	147.1
195	Sudan	148.6
196	Vatican City	154.0
197	Tuvalu	158.4
198	Somalia	159.5
199	Solomon Islands	166.2
	Africa Avg	108.2
	World Avg	87.9
q=199.

Somalia is amongst the very worst places in the world at ensuring any human rights and freedoms, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Somalia does worse than average in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₈ (amongst the worst in Africa) and in freethought₁₉ (one of the highest in Africa). It sits amongst the bottom 20 in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₀, supporting press freedom₂₁ (one of the highest in Africa) and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₂ (one of the worst in Africa). And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom for LGBT equality₂₃. "Somalia´s armed conflict, abuses by all warring parties, and a new humanitariancrisis [continues] to take a devastating toll on civilians₂₄". The country has no moral anchor nor effective defenders of human rights; where protections exist, they are often part of the problem rather than a good solution; for example, sexual violence is classified as being against "honour" and "modesty" rather than being fundamentally wrong in its own right₂₄ and Shariah courts are sometimes permitted to take place instead of ordinary judicial processes. Much needs to change, and it cannot all be blamed on historical issues: prejudice against LGBT folk is a result of poor moral thinking, not a result of poverty or conflict.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Somalia

5. Somalia's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #Somalia #vaccines

Compared to Africa (2020)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₅
1	Mauritius	64.5
2	Morocco	73.1
3=	Eritrea	77.0
	...
31	Madagascar	111.5
32=	Niger	113.1
32=	Congo, DR	113.1
34	Somalia	113.1
35	Uganda	113.3
36	S. Africa	113.4
37	Togo	113.6
38	Liberia	113.8
39	Mozambique	113.9
	Africa Avg	108.2
q=54.

Health (2020)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₅
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
	...
162	Philippines	112.9
163=	Niger	113.1
163=	Congo, DR	113.1
165	Somalia	113.1
166	Uganda	113.3
167	S. Africa	113.4
168	Togo	113.6
169	Liberia	113.8
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₂₆. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₂₆.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₂₆, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₂₆.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Somalia is a pretty unhealthy country. Somalia performs the best for its alcohol consumption rate₂₇. It does better than average in its smoking rate₂₈. However Somalia performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in its adolescent birth rate₂₉. It falls into the worst 20 when it comes to its average life expectancy₁₁ and in its immunizations take-up₃₀ (amongst the worst in Africa). And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom for its fertility rate₁₃. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016. Life expectancy in Somalia in 1990 was 47.1yrs, much lower than the global average of 64.6, and it was the worst in the world in 1991. It improved by +10yrs in the 30 years from then, better than the global average of +7.9yrs.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
187	Guinea	58.9
188	Ivory Coast	58.6
189	Swaziland	57.1
190	Somalia	55.3
191	S. Sudan	55.0
192	Central African Rep.	53.9
193	Lesotho	53.1
194	Nigeria	52.7
	Africa Avg	62.79
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₂₇
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₂₇
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
6	Yemen	0.1
7=	Afghanistan	0.2
7=	Saudi Arabia	0.2
9	Syria	0.3
10=	Pakistan	0.3
11	Kiribati	0.4
12=	Iraq	0.4
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₃
Pos.		2013₁₃
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
173	Uganda	5.95
174	Malawi	5.98
175	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	5.99
176	Afghanistan	6.03
177	Mali	6.16
178	Zambia	6.30
179	Somalia	6.30
180	Niger	6.96
	Africa Avg	4.31
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates Lower is better₂₈
Pos.		2014₂₈
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
25	Eritrea	114
26	Haiti	114
27	Peru	116
28	Somalia	117
29	Ghana	121
30	Benin	122
31	Zimbabwe	134
32	Mauritania	135
	Africa Avg	340
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2016 %₃₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
35=	Togo	28.1
35=	Mali	28.1
37	Indonesia	28.2
38=	Somalia	28.4
38=	Senegal	28.4
38=	Pakistan	28.4
41	Sudan	28.9
42=	Nigeria	28.9
	Africa Avg	33.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₂₉
Pos.		2015 Per 1000₂₉
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
161	Lesotho	92.7
162	Dominican Rep.	97.9
163	Gabon	99.9
164	Somalia	103.9
165	Cameroon	104.6
166	Burkina Faso	108.5
167	Equatorial Guinea	108.7
168	Liberia	108.8
	Africa Avg	87.5
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₃₀
Pos.		2015 Avg %₃₀
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
187	Syria	62.4
188	Ukraine	55.2
189	Chad	52.5
190	Nigeria	50.0
191	Central African Rep.	49.4
192	Somalia	46.0
193	S. Sudan	45.7
194	Equatorial Guinea	36.8
	Africa Avg	81.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Somalia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

This rank is calculated from 2 data sets. Somalia does worse than average for its forested percent change 1990-2015₃₂. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 for how quickly it ratified the 1993 Convention on Biological Diversity.

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 Higher is better₃₂
Pos.		2015 %₃₂
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
	...
157	Burkina Faso	-21.9
158	Argentina	-22.1
159	Cameroon	-22.6
160	Somalia	-23.2
161	Indonesia	-23.2
162	Kyrgyzstan	-23.8
163	Comoros	-24.5
164	Nepal	-24.7
	Africa Avg	-08.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Convention on Biological Diversity Earlier is better
Pos.		0 Signed
1=	China	1993 Dec 29
1=	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
1=	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
190	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2007 Jan 08
191	Brunei	2008 Jul 27
192	Iraq	2009 Oct 26
193	Somalia	2009 Dec 10
194	Palestine	2015 Apr 02
195	Andorra	2015 May 05
196	USA
197	Vatican City
	Africa Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

7. Somalia's Modernity and Learning

#intelligence #the_internet

Modernity and Education:

IQ Higher is better₃₃
Pos.		2006₃₃
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
122=	Nigeria	69
123	Chad	68
124=	Burkina Faso	68
124=	Somalia	68
124=	Angola	68
127	Guinea	67
128=	Liberia	67
128=	Haiti	67
	Africa Avg	70.6
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better₃₄
Pos.		2016₃₄
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
194	Myanmar (Burma)	3%
195	Sierra Leone	2%
196	Niger	2%
197	Guinea	2%
198	Somalia	2%
199	Burundi	2%
200	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1%
201	Eritrea	1%
	Africa Avg	18.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

8. National Culture

#corruption #happiness #politics

Corruption Higher is better₃₅
Pos.		2022 Points₃₅
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
173	Libya	17.0
174=	Haiti	17.0
174=	Burundi	17.0
176	Yemen	16.0
177	Venezuela	14.0
178=	S. Sudan	13.0
178=	Syria	13.0
180	Somalia	12.0
	Africa Avg	32.31
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

In the mid-2000s Somalia began to be included in the Corruption Perception Index data; in 2008-2009 it was rated as the most corrupt country in the world and maintained the worst overall position on average throughout the 2010s.

Happiness Higher is better₃₆
Pos.		2018 Score₃₆
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
95	Vietnam	5.1
96	Indonesia	5.1
97	Bhutan	5.1
98	Somalia	5.0
99	Cameroon	5.0
100	Bulgaria	4.9
101	Nepal	4.9
102	Venezuela	4.8
	Africa Avg	4.29
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

9. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index Lower is better₃₇
Pos.		2023 Score₃₇
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
153	Mali	2.96
154	Iraq	3.01
155	Sudan	3.02
156	Somalia	3.04
157	Ukraine	3.04
158	Russia	3.14
159	Congo, DR	3.21
160	S. Sudan	3.22
	Africa Avg	2.29
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better₃₈
Pos.		2019 Score₃₈
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
142	Philippines	7.14
143	Yemen	7.26
144	India	7.52
145	Somalia	7.80
146	Pakistan	7.89
147	Syria	8.01
148	Nigeria	8.60
149	Iraq	9.24
	Africa Avg	3.41
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₃₉
Pos.		2019₃₉
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
177	Congo, DR	36.10
178	S. Sudan	36.20
179	Mali	36.70
180	Nigeria	37.10
181	Somalia	38.90
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
184	Chad	40.90
	Africa Avg	26.10
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #somalia

Disbelief In God (2007)₄₀
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₀
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
84=	Guatemala	1
84=	El Salvador	1
84=	Panama	1
87	Somalia	0
88=	Sri Lanka	0
88=	Burundi	0
88=	Burkina Faso	0
88=	Brunei	0
88=	Botswana	0
88=	Syria	0
88=	Sierra Leone	0
88=	Thailand	0
88=	Togo	0
88=	Benin	0
88=	Tunisia	0
88=	Uganda	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₄₁:

Christian	0.1%
Muslim	99%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Sunni Muslim (Islam) (official, according to the Transitional Federal Charter)₄₂.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: When it comes to religious freedom and persecution, sociologists Grim & Finke place Somalia into the worst category, along with just 13 other countries. In this category, severe restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of belief stem simultaneously from top-down pressure from government and institutionalized religion, and from bottom-up grassroots movements that often go even further than the government in harassing those who do not believe the right things (2011)₄₃.

Links: