Country Comments

Somalia’s recent history has been marked by civil wars, hunger, impoverishment and diasporas. Two decades of conflict and depravity have left a country in tatters.

The education system was destroyed over years of conflict resulting in only 20% of its children accessing primary education. With 75% of the population under the age of 30, low educational attainment constrains future economic growth and poverty reduction and puts youth at risk. Girls have been especially disadvantaged with more than 72% of women in rural areas of Somalia having never attended school. (1)

A recent World Health Organization assessment of human health and family planning described “unacceptable levels of unmet need, extreme inequities in access, slow progress and underinvestment and poorly coordinated actions.” Pregnancy and childbirth are major risks to women’s well-being. Somali women have a one in 14 chance of dying from maternal causes over their lifetimes, the second-highest risk in the world. Funding to improve reproductive and maternal health care remains too low to meet demand. Instability and violence have become entrenched in Somalia. (2)

With one of the highest total fertility rates in the world of over six children per woman, the country’s population growth, even with large amounts of emigration, is rapidly increasing, placing massive pressure on ecosystems. Land degradation and desertification caused by unsustainable livestock and agricultural practices coupled with marine fisheries overexploitation have caused precarious food insecurity for its people. With recent international intervention and less civil conflict, the World Bank and other organizations are attempting to expand education to children and rebuild social and health service to its citizens.

(1) https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/06/29/girls-in-somalia-to-benefit-from-enhanced-access-to-education

(2) https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2011/12/in-somalia-beyond-the-immediate-crises-demography-reveals-a-long-term-challenge/.