5 Things You Need to Know About Poverty in Somalia

Famines, droughts, violence, and political conflict have been the main drivers behind poverty in Somalia. To alleviate these effects, the country receives aid from many different countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany. However, residents of the country still face immense hardships in the face of poverty.

A mosque for the Somali community in Central Ohio


Here’s all you need to know about it:

73 percent poverty rate

According to the country’s poverty indicators and national GDP, Somalia is one of the world’s poorest nations. The government constantly suffers from instability, which contributes to the problem. Constant threats of water and food security only maintain the horrible living standards in addition to the instability.

Low life expectancy

Men in Somalia have an average life expectancy of 50, while women can expect to live up to the ripe old age of 53. This is a direct consequence of violence, disease, and famine. Other diseases such as malaria remain rampant in the country and put the population at risk.

More access to clean water

UNICEF stated that the country had witnessed an improvement when it comes to access to clean water, going from a mere 15% in 2011 to 45% in 2015. While it’s wonderful that more families have clean water to use, more than half of the population is still living in horrible conditions. Unclean water often leads to further diseases and life-threatening health issues like cholera.

Lack of education

UNICEF estimated that around 60% of the children in Somalia—more than 2 million—did not go to school in 2015. Nomadic and rural communities also have almost no access to education. This leads to illiteracy and a lack of awareness of the outside world within communities that is hard to break through as the generations go by.

Volunteers inside the Capital park community


High levels of displacement

According to recent data, more than a million Somalis have gotten displaced within their own country due to constant conflict, and lack of food, shelter, and water. Most of these internally displaced individuals consist of children and women.

Take part in the Somali refugees' health donation in Columbus

There is a large community of Somali refugees in Columbus that can thrive with your help. A simple contribution through The Somali Community Link platform can help you provide health and education funding and aid with social integration for the Somali community in Ohio.

Learn more about their services here.

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