What is in the Somali Integrated Household Budget Survey?

The Somali National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS) launched the long-awaited Integrated Household Budget Survey today. The survey’s goal was to collect and consolidate information needed to track national poverty reduction progress.

The bureau gathered detailed data on household expenditures and consumption of goods and services in order to better monitor household welfare and measure poverty. They used a representative sample of 7,212 people.

According to the survey results, the average Somali household has 6-7 people, depending on location. Women outnumber men in the young adult and elderly age groups. In addition, more than half of Somalis over the age of 15 are married.

In terms of education, the survey found that more than half of Somalis (53.7%) are literate, with male literacy rates being higher than female literacy rates. However, 65.5% have no formal education and only 4% have a higher education.

Furthermore, approximately 8.3% of the population is disabled, with only one-fourth receiving any type of assistance. In the same vein, the majority of people consult the pharmacy compared to other health care providers. According to 48.5% of respondents, this phenomenon can be attributed to the high cost of medical services.

The survey also revealed that, in comparison to urban dwellers (42.6%) and nomads (46.7%), the majority of rural residents (63.3%) own their homes. What’s more, 61.9% of Somalis have access to electricity, with the majority (80.1%) living in urban areas.

The overall youth unemployment rate in the country is 30.1%. It is slightly worse in urban areas (31.5%) than in rural areas (21.8%) and nomadic areas (5.5%).

While men own 71% of agricultural land, women own 56.7% of businesses. Men own 35.4% of businesses, and 7.9% are co-owned by both genders.

Moreover, The households that rely on unearned income in the form of aid are urban households.  Cash aid is 21.3 %, while aid in kind is 14.4%.

Finally, the survey revealed that only 8.8% of the population aged 15 years and above own a bank account. The majority of transactions are conducted via hawala or mobile money.

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