According to the 2022 Somali Integrated Household Budget Survey, less than 16 % of the Somali population have some form of identification: 4.1 % of the adult (15+) population owns a passport, while another 11.3 % own another form of identification, such as identity cards or birth certificates.326
In line with that, based on UNHCR RMS data from 2024, a mere 16 % of all surveyed IDP populations at country level possess a form of legally recognised identification.327 IDPs have the lowest birth registration rates, with only 8.2 % of children under 5 years registered.328 Within this context, a recent survey conducted by the NRC, found that a ‘staggering’ 98 % of the surveyed minority and marginalised IDP populations in Mogadishu completely lacked any form of legal identity and civil documentation, including birth, marriage, divorce, and death registration.329
For this and other reasons, this section - while it addresses access to ID cards in general - should be read in conjunction with the situation of IDPs and as a complement to the preceding chapters.
- 326
Somalia, SNBS, 2022 Somali Integrated Household Budget Survey, 2023, url, p. 12
- 327
UNHCR, Somalia - Annual Results Report, 2024, url, pp. 10-11
- 328
UNHCR, Somalia - Annual Results Report, 25 May 2025, url, pp. 10-11
- 329
NRC, Community-driven consultations on housing, land and property needs among minority, marginalised, and displaced communities in Mogadishu, December 2024, url, pp. 8, 30