Demographics of Somalia
The demographics of Somalis encompass the demographic features of Somalia's inhabitants, including ethnicity, language, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Somalia is believed to be one of the most homogeneous countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Ethnic groups. According to "The Economist", at independence Somalia was "arguably in ethnic terms the most homogeneous country in sub-Saharan Africa", ahead of Botswana, which is four-fifths Tswana. However, the publication also notes that "its ethnic homogeneity is misleading. Despite also sharing a single language and religion, it is divided  into more than 500 clans and sub-clans". Somalis. Somalis constitute the largest ethnic group in Somalia, at approximately 85% of the nation's inhabitants. They are organized into clan groupings, which are important social units; clan membership plays a central part in Somali culture and politics. Clans are patrilineal and are typically divided into sub-clans, sometimes with many sub-divisions. Through the "xeer" system (customary law), the advanced clan structure has served governmental roles in many rural Somali communities. Somali society is traditionally ethnically endogamous. So to extend ties of alliance, marriage is often to another ethnic Somali  from a different clan. Thus, for example, a recent study observed that in 89 marriages contracted by men of the Dhulbahante clan, 55 (62%) were with women of Dhulbahante sub-clans other than those of their husbands; 30 (33.7%) were with women of surrounding clans of other clan families (Isaaq, 28; Gadabuursi, 3); and 3 (4.3%) were with women of other clans of the Darod clan family (Marehan 2, Ogaden 1). Clan structure. Certain clans are traditionally classed as noble clans, referring to their nomadic lifestyle in contrast to the sedentary Sab who are either agropastoralists or artisanal castes. The  five noble clans are Hawiye, Dir, Darod, Isaaq and Rahanweyn. Of these, the Dir and Hawiye are regarded as descended from Irir Samaale, the likely source of the ethnonym "Somali (soomaali)". The Isaaq and Darod have separate agnatic (paternal) traditions of descent through Ishaak ibn Ahmed (Sheikh Ishak) and Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti (Sheikh Darod) respectively. Both Sheikh Ishak and Sheikh Darod are asserted to have married women from the Dir clan, thus establishing matrilateral ties with the Samaale main stem. "Sab" is the term used to refer to minor Somali clans in contrast to "Samaale". Both Samaale and  Sab are the children of their father "Hiil" whose is the common ancestor all Somali clans. A few clans in the southern part of Greater Somalia do not belong to the major clans, but came to be associated with them and were eventually adopted into one of their confederations: Gaalje'el in Hiran and elsewhere in central Somalia traces its paternal descent to Gardheere Samaale; Garre in the Somali Region and North Eastern Province is divided into two branches: Tuuf claiming itself to be Garre Gardheere Samaale, and Quranyow, who married Tuuf's daughter, is of Mahamed Hiniftir Mahe Dir lineage ; Degoodi in the Somali Region and North Eastern Province is related to Gaaje'el as Saransoor and traces its patrilineage to Gardheere Samaale; Hawaadle in Hiran belongs to the Meyle Samaale; Ajuraan in the North Eastern Province claim descent from Maqaarre Samaale and Sheekhaal acknowledges descent from Sheikh Abadir Umar Ar-Rida, also known as "Fiqi Umar". Thus, the Gaalje'el, Garre, Degoodi Ajuraan and Hawaadle are said to have patrilateral ties with the Dir and Hawiye through Samaale to Aqil ibn Abi Talib (a cousin of the prophet Muhammad and brother of Ali), whereas the Sheekhaal traces descent to a different  forefather than the Samaale progeny, but ultimately also to Aqil ibn Abi Talib. The Sheekhaal (var. Sheikhaal (Arabic: شيخال), also known as Fiqi Omar, is a Somali clan. A Group members of hawiye major clan (Martiile Hiraab) inhabit Somalia, Ethiopia Djibouti and with considerable numbers also found in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) in Kenya. The Digil and Mirifle (Rahanweyn) are agro-pastoral clans in the area between the Jubba and Shebelle rivers. Many do not follow a nomadic lifestyle, live further south, and speak Maay. Although in the past frequently classified as a Somali dialect, more recent research by  the linguist Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi suggests that Maay constitutes a separate but closely related Afro-Asiatic language of the Cushitic branch. A third group, the occupational clans, are treated as outcasts. They can only marry among themselves and other Somalis considered them to be ritually unclean. They lived in their own settlements among the nomadic populations in the north and performed specialised occupations such as metalworking, tanning and hunting. These Minority Somali clans are the Gaboye, Tumaal, Yibir, Jaji and Yahar. Clans and sub-clans. There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures. The divisions and  subdivisions as given here are partial and simplified. Many lineages are omitted. Note that some sources state that the Rahanweyn group is made up of the Digil and Mirifle clans, whereas others list the Digil as a separate group from the Rahanweyn. Other ethnic groups. Non-Somali ethnic minority groups make up about 15% of the nation's population. They include Bantus, Bajunis, Ethiopians, Indians, Pakistanis, Persians, Arabs, Italians, Swedes, and Britons. Languages. Somali and Arabic are the official languages of Somalis. The Somali language is the mother tongue of the Somalis, the nation's most populous ethnic group. It  is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. In addition to Somali, Arabic, which is also an Afroasiatic tongue, is an official national language in Somalia. Many Somalis speak it due to centuries-old ties with the Arab world, the far-reaching influence of the Arabic media, and religious education. English is widely used and taught. Italian used to be a major language, but its influence significantly diminished following independence. It is now most frequently heard among older generations, government officials, and in educated circles. Other minority languages include Bravanese, a variant of the Bantu Swahili language  that is spoken along the coast by the Bravanese people, as well as Bajuni, another Swahili dialect that is the mother tongue of the Bajuni ethnic minority group. Population. According to , the total population was in , compared to 2,264,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 44.9%, 52.3% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.7% was 65 years or older. Vital statistics. Registration of vital events in Somalia is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates: Demographic statistics. Demographic statistics according to the World Population  Review. The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated. Sex ratio. "At birth:" 1.03 males/female "Under 15 years:" 1 male/female "15–64 years:" 1.07 males/female "65 years and over:" 0.66 males/female "Total population:" 1.01 males/female (2015 est. ) 0.1% (2017 est.) 11,000 (2017 est.) <1000 (2017 est.) Major infectious diseases. "Degree of risk": high "Food or waterborne diseases": bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever "Vector-borne diseases": dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever "Water contact disease": schistosomiasis "Animal contact disease": rabies (2013) Nationality. "Noun:" Somali (singular ) or Somali (plural) "Adjective:" Somali Literacy. "Definition:" age 15 and over can read and write "Total population:" N/A