01Free
The 30-second card
Emergency · tap to call
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Visa · United States passport
Visa on arrival · up to 30 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗SIM and eSIM
Private operators such as Hormuud, Golis, Telsom, Somafone and Nationallink cover Mogadishu and larger towns.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Apps locals use
Little: an app for hailing rides in Somali cities.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Somalia
Somali Shilling · SOS
Carry US dollars: many businesses deal only in dollars and refuse shillings.
Street money changers may give a slightly better shilling rate than official ones.
Local tailors are skilled, so having clothes made or copied is good value.
Be wary of bargain-priced pearls; they are often fakes.
Collect Somali Shilling in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)
Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day
Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)
Sat, 26 Jun 2027 · Independence Day
Thu, 1 Jul 2027 · Republic Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Somalia say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
Travel warning
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Do not travel
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Level 4 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 20 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 20 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
Advises against all travel to parts of the country
Some regions differ, see the official page.
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 4 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 4 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Routine shots, hepatitis A and B and typhoid are advised; malaria risk; yellow fever not required for entry.
Vaccinations
Stay current on routine shots including polio and measles; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised, and cholera and rabies vaccination are worth discussing with a doctor. Yellow fever vaccination is not an entry requirement.
Malaria
RiskTalk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
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What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $13 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $661Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | sheep and goats, gold, postage stamps/documents, other animals, cattle (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 19.7 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 15.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 56.5 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Muslim 99.9% (Sunni Muslim 98.1%, Shia Muslim 1.2%, Islamic schismatic 0.6%), ethnic religionist 0.1% (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 637,657 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoonsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in northSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | federal parliamentary republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +252Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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