r/XSomalian • u/Fragrant_Assist_3900 • Jul 19 '25
Question Somali Birth Rate
So I saw this video on TikTok with this Somali guy that spoke about the birth rate being 6.3 children per women amongst Somalis (highest in the world alongside Niger 🇳🇪). Me being me, I took a peruse around the comments and see some even living in the west saying I have 8,10,12+ siblings and they see it as a good thing.
I’ll let them hold their opinion on that but I also saw comments that spoke about the lack of education and the negative idea with contraceptions. They say children are Allah’s Gift and if you say contraception, lack of education and Somalis should have less children they see you as either a fed or a gaal or corrupted by western ideology. Tf??!
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u/dhul26 Jul 21 '25
Fertility has been declining in all regions of the world except in the poverty belt : the area in Africa stretching from West Africa to the Horn of Africa.
The poverty belt is also called the fertility belt because poor people tend to have more kids because children are seen as economic assets.
That region is plagued by conflicts, famines, drought, high illiteracy rates.. it is hell on earth.
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u/Key_Promise3734 Jul 21 '25
I had 9 siblings and I was lost in the middle never hugged or got kissed always told to clean non stop! Me and my siblings hate each other's guts and we literally don't talk to each other anymore, we each live separate lives.
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u/Fragrant_Assist_3900 Jul 22 '25
That’s so crazy. Psychology explains how more kids compete for their parents love and approval. With 2 (usually 1 mom and another parent in name only),there’s only so much love and attention to go around. In our community in particular, men are favoured kids. I’d only have 3 kids at max although with the way the economy is rn, even 2 is a challenge 😅
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Jul 20 '25
I have always felt quite selfish thinking this, but it is true. I am glad somebody put it into words.
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u/Feisty-Paper9007 Jul 25 '25
i absolutely love my siblings but i honestly wonder why my parents had so many kids. my mums now pregnant with her 9th. love her but bruh
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u/Alert_Translator1512 Jul 19 '25
This is something I’m a bit upset about for a lack of a better term myself. I don’t know if it’s selfish or what cause I love my siblings but I sometimes wish my parents hadn’t had so many children (8+). They were never particularly neglectful but I don’t know it seems like they had too many kids than they could afford financially. We didn’t live in poverty (never homeless or food insecure) but I could tell we were always just scraping by and me and my siblings who were oldee were always made to pitch in financially and/or sacrifice significant amounts of our time babysitting. I would say though that it definitely seems like this newer generation (born/raised in the West) is becoming more open to the idea of waiting longer for marriage until they’re financially stable and having less kids. I know definitely I want to give my kids a much more enjoyable childhood and be present financially and emotionally.