Somalia vs South Africa
Somalia vs South Africa: GDP growth
GDP growth: 4% a year in Somalia in 2024 and 1.1% a year in South Africa in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Somalia, by 3.5 percentage points, or 7.54 times that in South Africa.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Somalia has been higher since 2022, when it overtook South Africa.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Somalia at 4% a year and South Africa at 1.8% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Somalia | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.1 | 1.1 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | 4.2 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | 3.5 | 4.9 |
| 2020 | -2.7 | -6.2 |
| 2019 | 3.6 | 0.3 |
| 2018 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | 9.5 | 1.2 |
| 2016 | -1.3 | 0.7 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | 1.3 |
| 2014 | 2.7 | 1.4 |
| 2013 | 5.7 | 2.5 |
| 2012 | 1.2 | 2.4 |
| 2011 | – | 3.2 |
| 2010 | – | 3 |
| 2009 | – | -1.5 |
| 2008 | – | 3.2 |
| 2007 | – | 5.4 |
| 2006 | – | 5.6 |
| 2005 | – | 5.3 |
| 2004 | – | 4.6 |
| 2003 | – | 2.9 |
| 2002 | – | 3.7 |
| 2001 | – | 2.7 |
| 2000 | – | 4.2 |
| 1999 | – | 2.4 |
| 1998 | – | 0.5 |
| 1997 | – | 2.6 |
| 1996 | – | 4.3 |
| 1995 | – | 3.1 |
| 1994 | – | 3.2 |
| 1993 | – | 1.2 |
| 1992 | – | -2.1 |
| 1991 | – | -1 |
| 1990 | – | -0.3 |
| 1989 | – | 2.4 |
| 1988 | – | 4.2 |
| 1987 | – | 2.1 |
| 1986 | – | 0 |
| 1985 | – | -1.2 |
| 1984 | – | 5.1 |
| 1983 | – | -1.8 |
| 1982 | – | -0.4 |
| 1981 | – | 5.4 |
| 1980 | – | 6.6 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Somalia | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.3 | 1 |
| 2027 | 2.7 | 1.3 |
| 2028 | 3.2 | 1.5 |
| 2029 | 3.6 | 1.7 |
| 2030 | 3.8 | 1.8 |
| 2031 | 4 | 1.8 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Somalia vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancySomalia: 58.8 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySomalia: 10.1 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySomalia: 66.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSomalia: 3.79% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateSomalia: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSomalia: 18.4 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthSomalia: 3.57% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSomalia: 6.13 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSomalia: 55.1% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageSomalia: 15.5 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSomalia: 2.6% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateSomalia: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSomalia: 1.54% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSomalia: $193M in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personSomalia: $10 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSomalia: 20.8% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSomalia: 14,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerSomalia: 0.13% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSomalia: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSomalia: 2 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025