Distribution of Democracy Index in Somalia
Somalia: Distribution of Democracy Index was 15 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in Somalia, 1960–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Somalia is 15, measured in 2018.
The figure is up 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Somalia peaked at 17 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1969.
That places Somalia 99th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17 | — |
| 1961 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | -82.4% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 10 | +233.3% |
| 1992 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 15 | +50.0% |
| 2013 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 15 | +0.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 15 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 15 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.6 | 3 | 17 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.3 | 3 | 10 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.38 | 10 | 15 | 8 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More social development data for Somalia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,967 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0454 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in Somalia?
- Distribution of democracy index in Somalia was 15 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 17 in 1960.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1969.
- How does Somalia rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Somalia ranks 99th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).