Population: 7,253,137
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,610,945; female 1,608,209)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,938,263; female 1,892,752)
65 years and over: 3% (male 90,717; female 112,251) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.9% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 47.7 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 18.69 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 125.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.23 years
male: 44.66 years
female: 47.85 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.18 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Somali(s)
adjective: Somali

Ethnic groups: Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs 30,000

Religions: Sunni Muslim

Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 24%
male: 36%
female: 14% (1990 est.)