The GuardianThe Guardian

Drought caused 43,000 ‘excess deaths’ in Somalia last year, half of them young children

By Tracy McVeigh

21 Mar 2023 · 2 min read

Editor's Note

In 2022, more than 21,000 children died due to the deepening drought, the Guardian reports. Those on the ground have described situation in Somalia as "the worst humanitarian crisis we’ve ever seen".

A new report released by the Somalian government suggests that far more children died in the country last year due to the ongoing drought than previously realised.

The study estimates that there were 43,000 excess deaths in 2022 in Somalia due to the deepening drought compared with similar droughts in 2017 and 2018.

Sign in to informed

  • Curated articles from premium publishers, ad-free
  • Concise Daily Briefs with quick-read summaries
  • Read, listen, save for later, or enjoy offline
  • Enjoy personalized content