Trends in Access to Clean Cooking Fuels and Technologies Across Urban and Rural Somalia

Abstract Background: This study examines long-term patterns in the WHO/WDI modelled proportion of the Somali population primarily using clean fuels and technologies for cooking, with attention to urban–rural disparities. Methods: Annual published estimates for 2001–2023 (23 years) were summarized using endpoint differences, descriptive OLS trends with Newey–West (lag 2) standard errors, Kendall tau-b and Sen’s slope. Exploratory one-break segmented models assessed sensitivity to time-varying rates. Results: In the supplied dataset, national access rose from 0.4% to 5.4%, urban access from 0.3% to 8.8%, and rural access from 0.3% to 0.5%. The urban–rural absolute gap rose from 0.0 to 8.3 percentage points. Rural improvement was negligible in practical terms. Linear models showed positive average long-run slopes, but strong dependence and curvature for some series limit interpretation of naive statistical significance. The 2001 national estimate exceeds both published subgroup values and requires source-vintage reconciliation. Conclusions: Modelled access rose predominantly in urban areas while the absolute urban–rural disparity widened. Results are descriptive, and cannot establish underlying causes or household-level outcomes.