Modeling Female Education Attendance in Somalia: A Comparative Logistic Regression Study Using SHDS 2020 Data

Abstract This study investigates the factors influencing girls’ school attendance in Somalia, utilizing data from the Somali Health and Demographic Survey (SHDS) 2020. The dataset includes 18,527 responses, with only 16.21% of individuals reporting school attendance, highlighting significant barriers to education, particularly for girls. Geographically, Banadir reports the highest school attendance rate (22.15%), while regions such as Middle Shabelle (7.44%) and Bakool (8.95%) have significantly lower rates. Urban residents exhibit better access to education (17.29%) compared to rural (14.82%) and nomadic populations (16.09%). Age also plays a key role, with higher attendance among younger age groups, particularly those aged 15–19 (23.55%) and 20–24 (23.09%), while older groups show significantly lower attendance rates. Socioeconomic factors, particularly wealth, demonstrate strong associations with school attendance. Individuals in the top wealth quintile have a 40.25% school attendance rate, compared to just 2.85% in the lowest quintile. Surprisingly, household energy access, the gender of the household head, and household size show no significant associations with school attendance. The study identifies wealth, regional location, housing type, and age as critical determinants of school attendance, while variables such as household energy access and gender of household members are less impactful. Methods: the authors used Secondary data from Somali Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS, 2020). The survey focused on women between the ages of 15 and 49. 18,527 out of 21,218 survey participants were analyzed. The application of logistic regression was then performed to determine if the predictors had a extensive association with female education attendance in Somalia These findings underscore the pressing need for targeted interventions to address regional, economic, and lifestyle disparities in education. Investments in infrastructure, policies promoting equitable access, and programs aimed at empowering girls in education are essential for overcoming these barriers and improving educational outcomes in Somalia.