The Somali shilling
Currency · SOS · 1 country
Two colonial currencies went into the Somali shilling when it entered circulation on 15 October 1962: the East African shilling of the former British north and the somalo of the Italian-administered south, replaced at par. The Central Bank of Somalia issues it. The bank stopped working in January 1991 and was re-established by the Central Bank Act of 2012.
No sign of its own
The Somali shilling has no sign of its own in Unicode. Amounts are written Sh.So., for Somali shilling, or with the ISO code SOS. The Somali word is shilin, and the hundredth is the senti, names that the coins of 1976 introduced in place of cents and centesimi.
- ISO code
- SOS
- ISO number
- 706
- Subunit
- senti, 1/100
An amount, written out
SOS 1,234
- SOS 1,234English
- ١٬٢٣٤ SArabicSomalia
Where the Somali shilling is the official currency
In Somalia the shilling shares the market with the US dollar, which remains the main currency in use.
About the Somali shilling
How two colonial currencies became one
The shilling had been used in parts of Somalia since 1921, when the East African shilling reached the British Somaliland protectorate. The south had its own money. Under Italian trusteeship a currency office set up in Rome, the Cassa per la Circolazione Monetaria della Somalia, introduced the somalo there on 16 July 1950, and on 6 April 1959 the office moved to Mogadishu.
The Somali National Bank was founded by Decree-Law No. 3 of 30 June 1960, one day before independence, and took over the office's functions, and a presidential decree of 1961 provided for unifying the currency of the north. Legislative Decree No. 2 of 5 June 1962 issued the Somali shilling, and it circulated across the whole country from 15 October 1962.
Who issued the shilling before the collapse
The first notes, running from 5 to 100 shillings, named the unit in Italian as scellini and in English as shillings. The coins of 1967 were struck in cents and centesimi; those of 1976 switched to Somali names. A law of 8 February 1975 renamed the national bank the Central Bank of Somalia, and notes carrying the new name entered circulation on 25 March 1978.
The shilling was pegged to sterling at 20 to the pound, then from 18 November 1967 to the US dollar, and it was re-pegged several times in the early 1970s. A dual exchange rate began on 30 June 1981. Higher notes followed as the currency weakened: a 500 shilling note in 1989 and a 1,000 shilling note that was circulating by 15 May 1990. An attempt that year to redenominate at 100 to 1 got as far as new notes of 20 and 50 shilin.
What happened after the state collapsed
The central bank suspended operations in January 1991. Rival issuers then printed shillings of their own. Puntland's regional authorities were among them, and forgeries of the pre-1991 notes circulated as the same currency. Consumers refused notes larger than the 1991 denominations. Cash purchases took large bundles, and larger transactions often ran in US dollars.
From 2001 former central bankers worked to keep the bank's legal mandate alive, and the Central Bank Act of 2012 restored it as the monetary authority. In 2017 the bank announced, with help from the International Monetary Fund, that it planned to print a new 1,000 shilling note, its first notes since 1991.
Why the dollar still competes
The US dollar remains the main currency used in Somalia. It dominates payments sent by text message through services such as EVC Plus. In April 2026 traders in Mogadishu, followed by many shops, stopped accepting shillings because the old notes had worn out, and the price of everyday goods, medicines among them, rose at once. Many people moved to paying by mobile phone.
Common questions
Questions about the Somali shilling
What currency did Somalia use before the shilling?
Two. The former British protectorate in the north used the East African shilling, introduced there in 1921. The Italian-administered south used the somalo, issued from 16 July 1950 by a currency office set up in Rome. The two were equal in value, and the Somali shilling replaced both at par, entering circulation across the country on 15 October 1962.
Does Somalia still print shilling banknotes?
The Central Bank of Somalia stopped operating when the state collapsed in January 1991, and after that rival issuers and forgers produced notes that circulated as the same currency. The bank was re-established by the Central Bank Act of 2012. In 2017 it announced a plan, backed by the International Monetary Fund, to print a new 1,000 shilling note, which would be its first since 1991. In April 2026 many traders and shops in Mogadishu refused shillings because the notes in circulation had worn out.
Why do Somalis pay in US dollars?
The dollar became common for larger purchases after the central bank shut down in 1991 and the shilling lost value. It remains the main currency in Somalia, especially for payments made by text message through mobile money services such as EVC Plus.
How is the Somali shilling abbreviated?
Sh.So., short for Somali shilling, or the ISO code SOS. There is no dedicated currency sign. The notes of 1962 printed the Italian scellini beside the English shillings, and the first coins counted in cents and centesimi. From 1976 the coins used the Somali names shilin and senti instead.