Somalia

Somalia’s humanitarian crisis is among the world's most complex, driven by cycles of internal conflict and climate shocks, that drive displacement and undermine development efforts. The cumulative effect of both violence and climate shocks continues to drive displacement, destroy livelihoods, leaving millions of people in urgent need of assistance. 

In recent years, the increased frequency and severity of these shocks have left large segments of the population in prolonged states of risk and vulnerability. Many communities initially displaced by drought or conflict, have been displaced a second or third time by floods or renewed violence. These repeated displacements have left many  and in need of shelter, food, health, protection and livelihoods support. 

In 2024, conflict was the main driver of internal displacement, accounting for 53 per cent of the 477,000 displacements recorded between January and November 2024. Overall, 3.5 million remain displaced across Somalia.

In 2025, an estimated 5.98 million people in Somalia will require humanitarian assistance, a 13 per cent decrease from 6.9 million in 2024. This reduction reflects a stricter scope-setting approach, and is linked to slight improvements in the situation and investments in early warning, preparedness, resilience building, improved collaboration between humanitarians and the authorities, and increased Government response capacity led by the Somalia Disaster Management Agency.

However, the situation remains dire. At least 4.4 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, while1.6 million children are likely suffering from acute malnutrition, including more than 400,000 facing Severe Acute Malnutrition. Additionally, Somalia has experienced continuous transmission of Acute Watery Diarrhoea /cholera transmission since 2017, driven by inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene and health infrastructure, funding gaps, and seasonal flooding.

Humanitarian partners aim to assist 4.6 million people in 2025. Financial requirements have decreased by 10 per cent compared to 2024, dropping from US$1.6 billion to $1.43 billion. This reduction reflects a decline in the number of people in need and those targeted for assistance. In 2024, the UN and its partners received only 47.2 per cent of the $1.6 billion requested. With the available funding, partners provided at least one type of assistance to 3.5 million people and multiple types of assistance to 1.8 million. 

Continued advocacy is needed to secure increased assistance, particularly for the Somalia Humanitarian Fund, which is the main source of funding for national non-governmental partners. Insufficient funding forces humanitarian partners to scale down their responses and focus on prioritizing the most vulnerable people in areas with the greatest needs.