The U.S. government estimates the total population at 11.3 million (July 2018 estimate).  Other sources, including the World Bank, estimate the population to be at least 14.7 million.  According to the federal Ministry of Religious Affairs, more than 99 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim.  According to the World Atlas, members of other religious groups combined constitute less than 1 percent of the population and include a small Christian community of approximately 1,000 individuals, a small Sufi Muslim community, and an unknown number of Shia Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and those not affiliated with any religion.  Immigrants and foreign workers, who are primarily from East African countries, belong mainly to non-Muslim religious groups.

The Somali Bantu population largely inhabits the southern and central regions of the country near the Shebelle and Jubba rivers.  The majority of the Somali Bantu population are Muslim, but continue to maintain traditional animist beliefs.