During 2021–2023, Somalia confronted its most severe drought in forty years that affected over 7.8 million people —about half of Somalia’s population. As of 2024, drought-related impacts still continue to affect 4.4 million individuals across Somalia, who face including acute food insecurity. This includes an estimated 724,000 people at Integrated Food Security phase 4 (Emergency).
Over 80% of the country was suffering a severe drought. In affected areas up to 20% of the population have experienced shortages of water, food and pasture. More than one million Somalis were displaced in 2022, and over 300,000 people were still displaced in 2023.
Why this event still matters
Historical incidents shape the rules that protect people today — building codes, evacuation policy, warning systems and inspection regimes almost always trace back to a specific disaster. Studying 2021 Somali drought alongside current events is how preparedness improves.
See what is happening right now on the live world incident map, browse every droughts we track on the Drought tracker, or follow live incidents in Somalia.