By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Somalia, 3 December 2025 — Somalia’s Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development presented a draft plan on Tuesday to establish a National Council for Population Development (NCPD) as part of the government's efforts to strengthen evidence-based development planning.
The plan was presented at a consultative meeting in Mogadishu which brought together government ministries and agencies responsible for education, health, social affairs, women’s affairs, statistics, and displacement.
Participants discussed demographic pressures, including rapid population growth, youth unemployment, limited public services, and widespread internal displacement.
The ministry said the proposed council would serve as a central body to guide population and social development policy and ensure demographic trends are incorporated into national and state-level planning.
The draft framework emphasizes evidence-based policymaking supported by reliable data and research, and calls for enhanced cooperation between federal institutions, regional authorities, and international partners. It is aligned with the National Transformation Plan (NTP 2025–2029) and Vision 2060 development agenda.
Participants recommended creating a unified population data system, harmonizing social policies between federal and state governments, and improving coordination with development partners.
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The ministry said the next phase of discussions will involve consultations with Somalia’s federal member states, after which the draft will be submitted to ministers and parliamentarians for review and approval.
International data points to the scale of the challenge faced. Somalia’s population is estimated at about 19.9 million with a median age of 15.6, according to Worldometer, a reference website that provides real-time statistics.
The fertility rate stands at 5.9 children per woman. Youth unemployment reached 33.9 per cent in 2024, data from Statista, a global business intelligence platform, showed.
United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) reported 3.86 million internally displaced people as of December 2023, while United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said 5.1 million children need humanitarian assistance.
The ministry said the council would help consolidate a national approach to population management and strengthen long-term social and economic development.