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Photo: AMISOM · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 02 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Somalia: Economy & Innovation
What does an economy do for the people inside it?
Somalia is placed 176th of 176 countries on economy & innovation in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: GDP per Capita (PPP) 1,404 (2025); Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit 5.353 (2025).
Economy & Innovation
176th
of 176 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 4 key statistics
- 1,404GDP per Capita (PPP), 2025GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP)
- 5.353Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit, 2025Firms with a bank loan or line of credit (%)
- —Economic Complexity Index, 2024No reading for this country
- —Account Ownership at a Financial Institution, 2024No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Somalia on economy & innovation — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
GDP per Capita (PPP)
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: Output per person: the standard measure of an economy's size set against the population it has to support.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
1,404
GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP)
Higher is better
Somalia: 1,404. Across the 185 countries in this edition, values run from 1,067 (Burundi) to 139,593 (Singapore); the world median is 17,265.
- World median
- 17,265
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 30,639 Seychelles
- Land neighbours
- Ethiopia 3,095 · Kenya 5,995
Each grey tick is one of 185 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 2 of 4
Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: Whether businesses can borrow from the formal financial system — the firm-level counterpart to adults holding a bank account.
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Somalia’s is from 2025 · CC BY 4.0
5.353
Firms with a bank loan or line of credit (%)
Higher is better
Somalia: 5.353. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 2.113 (Pakistan) to 88.52 (Israel); the world median is 35.95.
- World median
- 35.95
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 60.79 Mauritius
- Land neighbours
- Ethiopia 23.45 · Kenya 46.85
Each grey tick is one of 179 countries at its latest reading, 2016–2025.
Key 3 of 4
Economic Complexity Index
Growth Lab at Harvard University
Why it is a key: What an economy knows how to make, read from the diversity and rarity of what it exports.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC0 1.0
No reading
ECI score (standardised, roughly −3 to +3)
Higher is better
Growth Lab at Harvard University publishes no 2024 figure for Somalia, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from -3.53 (Chad) to 1.729 (Japan); the world median is 0.131.
- World median
- 0.131
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 0.287 Mauritius
- Land neighbours
- Ethiopia -1.091 · Kenya -0.268
Each grey tick is one of 145 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Account Ownership at a Financial Institution
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: Whether ordinary adults are inside the financial system at all, which output per person does not reveal.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Adults with an account (% of population aged 15+)
Higher is better
World Bank Group publishes no 2024 figure for Somalia, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 139 countries in this edition, values run from 14.83 (Niger) to 99.85 (Iceland); the world median is 72.83.
- World median
- 72.83
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 90.12 Kenya
- Land neighbours
- Ethiopia 48.83 · Kenya 90.12
Each grey tick is one of 139 countries in the 2024 edition.
02Over time
Which way Somalia is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
GDP per Capita (PPP)
GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP) · higher is better
SomaliaWorld median
Somalia rose from 702.85 in 2000 to 1,404 in 2025; the world median went from 10,589 to 17,265.
Every year’s figures
Year Somalia World median 2025 1,404 17,265 2024 1,409 18,108 2023 1,402 17,686 2022 1,388 16,933 2021 1,392 16,260 2020 1,396 15,631 2019 1,491 16,761 2018 1,505 16,349 2017 1,528 16,129 2016 1,384 15,512 2015 1,344 14,857 2014 1,259 14,475 2013 1,198 14,681 2012 1,115 14,631 2011 1,054 13,916 2010 995 14,101 2009 956 13,655 2008 919 14,030 2007 887 13,755 2006 858 12,983 2005 831 12,023 2004 803 11,608 2003 778 11,183 2002 750 11,144 2001 723 10,907 2000 703 10,589
03In context
Somalia beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 176 countries on economy & innovation, never a place within the region.
1st176thNot placed · 48 countries with too few key statisticsNo data
Somalia and the countries it borders
The standing is each country’s place among all 176 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | GDP per Capita (PPP)GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP) | Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of CreditFirms with a bank loan or line of credit (%) | Economic Complexity IndexECI score (standardised, roughly −3 to +3) | Account Ownership at a Financial InstitutionAdults with an account (% of population aged 15+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kenya | 82nd | 5,995 | 46.85 | -0.268 | 90.12 |
 Ethiopia | 148th | 3,095 | 23.45 | -1.091 | 48.83 |
| Somalia | 176th | 1,404 | 5.353 | — | — |
| Somaliland | not placed | — | — | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Eastern Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 176.
Placed either side on economy & innovation
The countries immediately above and below Somalia in the topic’s list.
Sudan173rd
Central African Republic174th
Chad175th- Somalia176th
04Context, no vote
Where Somalia is ahead of the world, and behind
19 more statistics filed under economy & innovation, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median2
Statistics on which Somalia does better than the middle country measured.
Debt Service on External DebtWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 12.930.65712.93No real change since 2014
Somalia: 0.657 · world median 12.93 · Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.285 to 96.2; lower is better.
Position 108th of 109 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
External Debt Stocks (% of GNI)World Bank Group · 2024 · world median 43.9414.9243.94▲ Improved since 2014
Somalia: 14.92 · world median 43.94 · External debt stocks (% of GNI). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 2.213 to 350.57; lower is better.
Position 103rd of 110 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median9
Statistics on which Somalia does worse than the middle country measured.
GDP GrowthWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 3.3962.9913.396▼ Worsened since 2015
Somalia: 2.991 · world median 3.396 · GDP growth (annual %). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -5.847 to 19.34; higher is better.
Position 105th of 186 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Liner Shipping Connectivity IndexUNCTAD · 2026 · world median 56.2133.2456.21▲ Improved since 2016
Somalia: 33.24 · world median 56.21 · LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 4.13 to 1,319; higher is better.
Ranked 105th of 175 by UNCTAD.
Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.23101.37106.23▼ Worsened since 2012
Somalia: 101.37 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.
Position 123rd of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.0898.94106.08▼ Worsened since 2012
Somalia: 98.94 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.
Position 148th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.0698.64107.06▼ Worsened since 2012
Somalia: 98.64 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.
Position 149th of 194 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Government AI Readiness IndexOxford Insights · 2025 · world median 40.1921.8240.19▲ Improved since 2023
Somalia: 21.82 · world median 40.19 · AI readiness score (0–100). Oxford Insights, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 12.12 to 88.36; higher is better.
Ranked 164th of 195 by Oxford Insights.
Regulatory QualityWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median -0.093-1.705-0.093▲ Improved since 2015
Somalia: -1.705 · world median -0.093 · Regulatory Quality (−2.5 to 2.5). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -2.106 to 2.113; higher is better.
Position 202nd of 209 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 14,2731,41814,273No real change since 2015
Somalia: 1,418 · world median 14,273 · GNI per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,181 to 116,633; higher is better.
Position 99th of 102 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Logistics Performance IndexWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 2.922.9No real change since 2014
Somalia: 2 · world median 2.9 · LPI score (1–5). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.9 to 4.3; higher is better.
Ranked 138th of 139 by World Bank Group.
No better end8
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Household ConsumptionWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 62.04133.3462.04No real change since 2015
Somalia: 133.34 · world median 62.04 · Household and NPISH final consumption expenditure (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 25.21 to 133.34.
Position 1st of 131 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 41.7298.8141.72Moved since 2015
Somalia: 98.81 · world median 41.72 · Imports of goods and services (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.279 to 196.89.
Position 8th of 138 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Foreign Direct Investment InflowsUNCTAD · 2025 · world median 1.9686.5361.968Moved since 2015
Somalia: 6.536 · world median 1.968 · FDI inflows (% of GDP). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -32.97 to 2,221.
Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2021 · world median 1.70811.241.708Moved since 2013
Somalia: 11.24 · world median 1.708 · Natural resources rents (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 61.03.
Position 41st of 180 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Trade (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 79.68128.0679.68Moved since 2015
Somalia: 128.06 · world median 79.68 · Exports plus imports (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.382 to 396.65.
Position 30th of 138 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Gross Capital Formation (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 22.9328.1122.93Moved since 2015
Somalia: 28.11 · world median 22.93 · Gross capital formation (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.679 to 45.27.
Position 31st of 131 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Exports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 36.3429.2536.34Moved since 2015
Somalia: 29.25 · world median 36.34 · Exports of goods and services (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.103 to 199.76.
Position 89th of 138 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
General Government ConsumptionWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 16.218.11116.21Moved since 2015
Somalia: 8.111 · world median 16.21 · General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 5.445 to 38.94.
Position 123rd of 132 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Somalia
Account Ownership at a Financial Institution (last 2014), Adjusted Net Savings, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP) (last 1990), Business Ready: Operational Efficiency, Business Ready: Public Services, Business Ready: Regulatory Framework, Container Port Traffic (last 2019), Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports, Economic Complexity Index, Gini Index, Global Innovation Index, Gross Savings (% of GDP), ICT Goods Exports, ICT Services Exports, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Industry Value Added including Construction (% of GDP) (last 1986), Manufacturing Value Added (% of GDP) (last 1990), Palma Ratio, Research and Development Spending, Researchers per Million Inhabitants, Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All Products and World Energy Trilemma Index. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Economy & Innovation among Somalia’s 15 topics
Economy & Innovation is Somalia’s 13th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 35th of 1813/3 keys
- Energy114th of 1932/3 keys
- Mobility & Trade131st of 1472/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties181st of 1983/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions180th of 1944/4 keys
- Digital & Technology184th of 1982/3 keys
- Gender & Equality171st of 1834/4 keys
- Peace & Security170th of 1773/4 keys
- Work & Labour180th of 1824/4 keys
- Development & Human Capitaljoint 194th of 1963/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge170th of 1713/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing199th of 2002/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation176th of 1762/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture175th of 1752/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience192nd of 1923/3 keys
No standing on Poverty & Inequality: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on economy & innovation
The three countries placed highest of 176, and the leaders Somalia can most readily be measured against.
1
AustriaWestern Europe
1st of 176 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale
2
JapanEastern Asia
2nd of 176 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
GermanyWestern Europe
3rd of 176 · 4 of 4 keys
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Africa
Mauritius36th4/4 keysThis page
Somalia176th2/4 keys
Positions out of 176 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Somalia and economy & innovation
On economy & innovation
China Leads Global High-Technology Exports
The world’s ten largest high-technology exporters as a treemap, with the rest of the world beside them. Each country’s figure is its own most recent year, between 2022 and 2024.
On economy & innovation
India vs Pakistan 2025: Comparison of Hunger Index, Happiness, HDI, Rule of Law, Literacy & GDP
India and Pakistan on six published measures: hunger, happiness, human development, rule of law, literacy and GDP per capita. India is the better placed on five of them; Pakistan on one.
On economy & innovation
Countries in Asia with the highest average salaries 2024
Thirteen Asian countries by gross average monthly wage, each carrying its WORLD rank rather than an Asian one — so the numbers skip, from 11th place to 45th.
08Questions
Somalia on economy & innovation: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Somalia rank on economy & innovation?
Somalia is placed 176th of 176 countries on Economy & Innovation in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics (GDP per Capita (PPP) and Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest GDP per Capita (PPP) figure for Somalia?
1,404 in 2025 (gDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 17,265.
What is the latest Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit figure for Somalia?
5.353 in 2025 (firms with a bank loan or line of credit (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 35.95.
How does Somalia compare with Ethiopia on economy & innovation?
Ethiopia is placed 148th of 176, and Somalia 176th. GDP per Capita (PPP): Ethiopia 3,095, Somalia 1,404; Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit: Ethiopia 23.45, Somalia 5.353.
How have Somalia’s economy & innovation figures changed?
GDP per Capita (PPP) rose from 702.85 in 2000 to 1,404 in 2025.
Which economy & innovation statistics are missing for Somalia?
No current reading is published for Somalia on Account Ownership at a Financial Institution, Adjusted Net Savings, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP), Business Ready: Operational Efficiency, Business Ready: Public Services, Business Ready: Regulatory Framework, Container Port Traffic, Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports, Economic Complexity Index, Gini Index, Global Innovation Index, Gross Savings (% of GDP), ICT Goods Exports, ICT Services Exports, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Industry Value Added including Construction (% of GDP), Manufacturing Value Added (% of GDP), Palma Ratio, Research and Development Spending, Researchers per Million Inhabitants, Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All Products and World Energy Trilemma Index. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
Explore further
Somalia, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions180th of 194
- Work & Labour180th of 182
- Education & Knowledge170th of 171
- Health & Wellbeing199th of 200
- Development & Human Capital=194th of 196
- Environment & Sustainability=35th of 181
- Gender & Equality171st of 183
- Democracy & Civil Liberties181st of 198
- Peace & Security170th of 177
- Risk & Resilience192nd of 192
- Mobility & Trade131st of 147
- Food & Agriculture175th of 175
- Energy114th of 193
- Digital & Technology184th of 198
- The full Somalia profile
Nearby, on economy & innovation
The key statistics, for every country
10Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
The total size of an economy is deliberately left out: a very large economy spread over a very large population is not doing more for each person. Growth rates, trade shares and the structure of output (how much is farming, industry or services) are published here as context, because they describe an economy's shape rather than how well it serves people. Jobs and wages have their own topic, Work & Labour.
How the Economy & Innovation standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 40 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2024 to 2025, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 176 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- GDP per Capita (PPP) — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Firms with a Bank Loan or Line of Credit — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Economic Complexity Index — Growth Lab at Harvard University, CC0 1.0
- Account Ownership at a Financial Institution — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
The other 19 statistics on this page come from 4 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Somalia’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Somalia (banner) — AMISOM, CC0
- Austria — chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Japan — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Germany — dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Somalia: Economy & Innovation — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/somalia/economy