# Austria (Somali diaspora)

> 9,651 Somali citizens lived in Austria in 2023, the largest African group. Numbers, asylum, work, family reunification and ties home.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/diaspora/austria/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## How many Somalis live in Austria?

On 1 January 2023, 9,651 Somali citizens lived in Austria, and 7,899 people living there had been born in Somalia ([ÖIF, Somalische Bevölkerung in Österreich, from Statistik Austria data, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). Somalis were the largest group of Africans living in Austria ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). In 2002 there had been only 104 Somali citizens ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

Other counts differ by method:

- **UN DESA 2024:** 9,719 people born in Somalia lived in Austria ([UN DESA, International Migrant Stock 2024](https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/undesa_pd_2024_ims_stock_by_sex_destination_and_origin.xlsx)).
- **UNHCR, end of 2025:** 11,270 refugees and 1,110 asylum seekers from Somalia were in Austria ([UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, Austria, 1990 to 2025](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=1990&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=AUS)).

The UNHCR count is higher because it includes Austrian-born children who share their parents' refugee status. It does not include the few who have become Austrian citizens.

## Who are the Somalis in Austria?

It is a young community. In 2023, 73% of Somali citizens in Austria were under 29, against about a third of all residents ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). Only 86 people, under 1%, were 60 or older ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

Men outnumber women: 62% were male and 38% female ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). In 2022, 315 babies were born in Austria to Somali mothers ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

## Where in Austria do Somalis live?

Vienna had 4,118 Somali citizens in 2023, or 43% ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). Next came Tyrol (1,291), Vorarlberg (1,148), Salzburg (1,056) and Upper Austria (996) ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). Burgenland had the fewest, with 82 ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

## How did Somalis come to Austria?

Almost all came as asylum seekers after 2010. UNHCR counted 43 Somali refugees in Austria in 1998 and 1,093 in 2010 ([UNHCR API](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=1990&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=AUS)). The count passed 5,000 in 2017 and 10,000 in 2024 ([UNHCR API](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=1990&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=AUS)).

Somali asylum applications peaked at 2,073 in 2015 ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). That year 1,902 Somali citizens moved to Austria and 239 left ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). In 2022 there were 1,836 applications, among the ten largest groups ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

For the routes, see [Migration routes](/en/diaspora/migration-routes/) and [Why and how Somalis left](/en/diaspora/why-and-how-somalis-left/).

## How many get protection now?

In 2025 Somalis made 1,004 asylum applications in Austria, the third-largest group after Afghans and Syrians ([BFA, Detailstatistik 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)). Austria received 16,668 applications in all ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)).

The asylum office made 950 positive first decisions for Somalis in 2025 ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)). Of these, 582 gave asylum, 363 gave subsidiary protection and 5 gave a residence title on other grounds ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)). See [Refugee papers and status](/en/diaspora/refugee-papers-and-status/) for what each status means.

Few have become Austrian citizens so far. In 2022, 82 former Somali citizens were naturalised, the highest number yet ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). Before 2015 it was under 20 a year ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

## Do Somalis in Austria have work?

Many are still looking. In 2022 the unemployment rate for Somali citizens was 25.0%, against 6.3% for everyone and 9.1% for all foreign citizens ([ÖIF, from labour ministry data, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)). It was 39.0% for Somali women and 21.1% for Somali men ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf)).

Language is part of it. In a 2025 Statistik Austria survey, 21.2% of immigrants from Somalia spoke mainly German at home and 46.0% spoke German and another language ([Statistik Austria, Jahrbuch Migration und Integration 2025](https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/pages/2118/Statistik_Austria_Jahrbuch_Migration_und_Integration_2025.pdf)). With friends, 42.7% spoke mainly German ([Statistik Austria, 2025](https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/pages/2118/Statistik_Austria_Jahrbuch_Migration_und_Integration_2025.pdf)).

## Do Somalis feel at home in Austria?

Most do. In the same 2025 survey, 78.3% of immigrants from Somalia said they felt they belonged to Austria ([Statistik Austria, 2025](https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/pages/2118/Statistik_Austria_Jahrbuch_Migration_und_Integration_2025.pdf)). Fewer, 52.2%, said they felt they belonged to their country of origin ([Statistik Austria, 2025](https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/pages/2118/Statistik_Austria_Jahrbuch_Migration_und_Integration_2025.pdf)).

## Who speaks for Somalis in Austria?

Public bodies publish most of what is known. The Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) and Statistik Austria publish yearly data on Somali residents ([ÖIF, 2023](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf); [Statistik Austria, 2025](https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/pages/2118/Statistik_Austria_Jahrbuch_Migration_und_Integration_2025.pdf)). The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) decides asylum claims ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)).

## What do Somalis in Austria face now?

- **Family reunification paused:** Austria's government decided on 12 March 2025 to halt family reunification for people with protection ([EUAA, 2025](https://dip.euaa.europa.eu/node/1779)). A July 2025 law lets a minister suspend it six months at a time ([IRAP, 27 April 2026](https://refugeerights.org/news-resources/civil-society-coalition-submits-complaint-with-eu-commission-over-austrias-suspension-of-family-reunification-for-refugees)).
- **Families waiting abroad:** in 2025, relatives of Somalis made 309 requests for entry visas, the third-largest group ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)).
- **Status reviews:** the asylum office opened 347 cases in 2025 to review or withdraw protection from Somalis ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)).
- **Age checks:** Somalis made up the largest group in age examinations of young applicants in 2025, with 165 ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)).
- **A legal challenge:** civil society groups asked the European Commission in April 2026 to act against the suspension ([IRAP, 2026](https://refugeerights.org/news-resources/civil-society-coalition-submits-complaint-with-eu-commission-over-austrias-suspension-of-family-reunification-for-refugees)).

## How are Somalis in Austria tied to home?

Families are split between Austria and the Horn of Africa, which is why reunification matters so much ([BFA, 2025](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf)). Somalia's own records show 13 migrants returning from Austria between 2020 and 2023 ([Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, Migration Statistics Report 2024](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Migration-Statistics-Report-2024.pdf)). Worldwide, Somalis abroad sent home US$3,134 million in 2025, about 24% of the economy ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)).

## What else has been reported?

- **Family reunification, 2025:** Falter reported in June 2025 that Afghanistan and Somalia accounted for most of the remaining family-reunification applications after the Interior Ministry stopped admitting relatives of refugees ([Falter, 3 June 2025](https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20250603/yosif-und-roslin-duerfen-nicht-zu-papa)). The ministry has said family reunification has been suspended since early July 2025, except in hardship cases, according to a parliamentary answer.

## Related pages

- [Somali diaspora hub](/en/diaspora/)
- [Life after leaving](/en/diaspora/life-after-leaving/)
- [Refugee papers and status](/en/diaspora/refugee-papers-and-status/)
- [Somali refugees by the numbers](/en/diaspora/somali-refugees-by-the-numbers/)
- [Germany (Somali diaspora)](/en/diaspora/germany/)
- [Switzerland (Somali diaspora)](/en/diaspora/switzerland/)

## Sources

1. Österreichischer Integrationsfonds (ÖIF). "Somalische Bevölkerung in Österreich" (Integration in Zahlen), with Statistik Austria, BMI and labour market data. 2023. [integrationsfonds.at](https://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/content/AT/monitor/Laender_Factsheet_Somalia.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
2. UN DESA Population Division. "International Migrant Stock 2024." 2025. [un.org](https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/undesa_pd_2024_ims_stock_by_sex_destination_and_origin.xlsx). Checked 2026-11-12.
3. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Austria, 1990 to 2025. [api.unhcr.org](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=1990&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=AUS). Checked 2026-11-12.
4. Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl (BFA). "Detail-Statistik Kennzahlen BFA 2025, 1.-4. Quartal." March 2026. [bfa.gv.at](https://www.bfa.gv.at/403/files/detailstatistik_bfa_kennzahlen_jahr_2025.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
5. Statistik Austria. "Jahrbuch Migration und Integration 2025" (Migrationserhebung 2025). [statistik.at](https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/pages/2118/Statistik_Austria_Jahrbuch_Migration_und_Integration_2025.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
6. European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). "Council of Ministers suspends family reunification." March 2025. [dip.euaa.europa.eu](https://dip.euaa.europa.eu/node/1779). Checked 2026-11-12.
7. International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). "Civil society coalition submits complaint with EU Commission over Austria's suspension of family reunification for refugees." 27 April 2026. [refugeerights.org](https://refugeerights.org/news-resources/civil-society-coalition-submits-complaint-with-eu-commission-over-austrias-suspension-of-family-reunification-for-refugees). Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. "Migration Statistics Report," first edition. 2024. [nbs.gov.so](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Migration-Statistics-Report-2024.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
9. Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." 2026. [centralbank.gov.so](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
10. Falter. "Yosif und Roslin dürfen nicht zu Papa". 3 Jun 2025. https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20250603/yosif-und-roslin-duerfen-nicht-zu-papa. Checked 2026-11-12.

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