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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
Capital city · Somalia · Africa

Mogadishu

Banaadir · Somalia
City population
2,587,183
#1
in Somalia
#150
worldwide
Mogadishu
2.037, 45.344
City population
2,587,183
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Somalia
#1
of 42 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#150
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Somalia
13.2%
of the national population

About Mogadishu

Somalia's largest city, Mogadishu holds 2,587,183 residents and accounts for 13.2% of the national population. The capital sits at 12 m above sea level. Afgooye, the nearest listed city, lies 27 km away with 65,461 residents; Marka, the second-nearest, is 73 km distant with a population of 230,100.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in Somalia
#1of 42
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Somalia
Region
Banaadir
Capital
National capital
Elevation
12 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Africa/Mogadishu
Coordinates
2.037, 45.344
Record updated
2025-10-18
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.

Nearby Cities

All 42 in Somalia

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

27KMAfgooye65K people73KMMarka230K people82KMWanlaweyn22K people85KMJawhar47K people95KMQoryooley52K people

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. Mogadishu2.59M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Mogadishu compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
Mogadishu2.59M

Mogadishu Population FAQ

What is the population of Mogadishu?

Mogadishu has a city population of 2,587,183. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Mogadishu?

Mogadishu is in Banaadir, Somalia. Its coordinates are 2.037, 45.344.

How big is Mogadishu compared with other cities in Somalia?

It is the 1st largest of the 42 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Somalia, holding 13.2% of the national population.

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