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Literacy in Somalia

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A black girl wearing a purple hijab pointing and reading Somali text off of a chalkboard
A girl reading from a chalkboard in Mogadishu

Somalia is a nation on the Horn of Africa with a population of approximately 18 million people. As of 2022, the country has an adult literacy rate of about 41%. There is a significant gender disparity in literacy rate, with 54% of men and only 22% of women being literate. According to USAID, the youth literacy rate is approximately 70%. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic, with English and Italian used as well.

Factors in literacy

Education in Somalia is not widespread, with nearly 85% of children not enrolled in school according to USAID. The nation has a lower secondary education completion rate of 19.5%. Somalia's relatively poor education and low literacy rates have largely been attributed to the effects of the ongoing Somali Civil War, which began around 1991. Despite this, the current adult literacy rate of 41% is an improvement from 24% in 1990, and before that, 5% in 1972.

Autonomous regions

The regions of Puntland and Somaliland are de facto independent states that have separated from Somalia as a result of the Somali Civil War. As of 2013, Puntland had a literacy rate of 72% and Somaliland had one of 44%. Higher literacy was correlated with residence in an urban area, and the disparity between the regions has been attributed to a higher proportion of Puntlanders having completed primary school or attending madrasa.

Notes

  1. Defined as the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.
  2. Defined as the percentage of the population aged 15–24 who can read and write.
  3. In this report, "illiterate" was given as a level of education; literacy values are derived from the percentage of illiterate respondents.

References

  1. "Somalia". UNICEF. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Literacy Rate, Adult Total". World Bank Group. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Country Profile: Somalia" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  4. "Literacy Rate, Adult Male". World Bank Group. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  5. "Literacy Rate, Adult Female". World Bank Group. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Somalia - Education - Literacy". USAID. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  7. "Somalia - Education and Health" (PDF). USAID. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  8. ^ Hassan, Mohamed (23 July 2020). "Literacy in Somalia: A Struggle to Rebuild the System Broken by War". DevelopmentAid. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  9. "Puntland Profile". BBC News. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  10. "Somaliland Profile". BBC News. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Family Ties: Remittances and Livelihoods Support in Puntland and Somaliland" (PDF). Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit - Somalia. 5 June 2013. p. 6. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
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