Settlement marginalization and child labor among children in Somalia: evidence from displaced and nomadic communities

Child labor remains a major child protection challenge in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, yet evidence on its structural determinants remains limited. This study examines the determinants of child labor among children aged 6–17 years in Somalia using nationally representative household survey data. Employing Linear Probability and Logit models, the analysis examines how individual characteristics, household conditions, displacement status, and settlement type shape children’s labor participation. The results show that child labor prevalence is relatively low but unevenly distributed across socioeconomic and geographic contexts. Settlement type emerges as the strongest predictor: children in rural areas are significantly more likely to engage in labor than urban children, with substantially higher probabilities among those in nomadic communities. Disaggregated analyses by displacement status, sex, and settlement type show that these patterns persist across population groups. In contrast, household expenditure does not show a consistently protective association once structural factors are considered. These findings suggest that child labor in fragile settings is shaped less by household poverty alone than by structural marginalization and limited access to services. Strengthening child protection systems, expanding flexible education for mobile populations, and addressing spatial inequalities are therefore essential for reducing child labor.