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Austria (Somali diaspora)

On 1 January 2023, 9,651 Somali citizens lived in Austria, the largest African group in the country, by Statistik Austria's count. The UN counted 9,719 people born in Somalia there in 2024. Most came after 2010, and 43% live in Vienna.

Last checked 2026-11-12 10 sources Reading time: 5 min

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). Somalis were the largest group of Africans living in Austria (ÖIF, 2023). In 2002 there had been only 104 Somali citizens (ÖIF, 2023).

Other counts differ by method:

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). Only 86 people, under 1%, were 60 or older (ÖIF, 2023).

Men outnumber women: 62% were male and 38% female (ÖIF, 2023). In 2022, 315 babies were born in Austria to Somali mothers (ÖIF, 2023).

Where in Austria do Somalis live?

Vienna had 4,118 Somali citizens in 2023, or 43% (ÖIF, 2023). Next came Tyrol (1,291), Vorarlberg (1,148), Salzburg (1,056) and Upper Austria (996) (ÖIF, 2023). Burgenland had the fewest, with 82 (ÖIF, 2023).

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). The count passed 5,000 in 2017 and 10,000 in 2024 (UNHCR API).

Somali asylum applications peaked at 2,073 in 2015 (ÖIF, 2023). That year 1,902 Somali citizens moved to Austria and 239 left (ÖIF, 2023). In 2022 there were 1,836 applications, among the ten largest groups (ÖIF, 2023).

For the routes, see Migration routes and 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). Austria received 16,668 applications in all (BFA, 2025).

The asylum office made 950 positive first decisions for Somalis in 2025 (BFA, 2025). Of these, 582 gave asylum, 363 gave subsidiary protection and 5 gave a residence title on other grounds (BFA, 2025). See 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). Before 2015 it was under 20 a year (ÖIF, 2023).

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). It was 39.0% for Somali women and 21.1% for Somali men (ÖIF, 2023).

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). With friends, 42.7% spoke mainly German (Statistik Austria, 2025).

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). Fewer, 52.2%, said they felt they belonged to their country of origin (Statistik Austria, 2025).

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; Statistik Austria, 2025). The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) decides asylum claims (BFA, 2025).

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). A July 2025 law lets a minister suspend it six months at a time (IRAP, 27 April 2026).
  • Families waiting abroad: in 2025, relatives of Somalis made 309 requests for entry visas, the third-largest group (BFA, 2025).
  • Status reviews: the asylum office opened 347 cases in 2025 to review or withdraw protection from Somalis (BFA, 2025).
  • Age checks: Somalis made up the largest group in age examinations of young applicants in 2025, with 165 (BFA, 2025).
  • A legal challenge: civil society groups asked the European Commission in April 2026 to act against the suspension (IRAP, 2026).

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). Somalia's own records show 13 migrants returning from Austria between 2020 and 2023 (Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, Migration Statistics Report 2024). Worldwide, Somalis abroad sent home US$3,134 million in 2025, about 24% of the economy (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).

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). The ministry has said family reunification has been suspended since early July 2025, except in hardship cases, according to a parliamentary answer.

Sources

  1. Österreichischer Integrationsfonds (ÖIF). "Somalische Bevölkerung in Österreich" (Integration in Zahlen), with Statistik Austria, BMI and labour market data. 2023. integrationsfonds.at. Checked 2026-11-12.
  2. UN DESA Population Division. "International Migrant Stock 2024." 2025. un.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
  3. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Austria, 1990 to 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
  4. Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl (BFA). "Detail-Statistik Kennzahlen BFA 2025, 1.-4. Quartal." March 2026. bfa.gv.at. Checked 2026-11-12.
  5. Statistik Austria. "Jahrbuch Migration und Integration 2025" (Migrationserhebung 2025). statistik.at. Checked 2026-11-12.
  6. European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). "Council of Ministers suspends family reunification." March 2025. dip.euaa.europa.eu. 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. Checked 2026-11-12.
  8. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. "Migration Statistics Report," first edition. 2024. nbs.gov.so. Checked 2026-11-12.
  9. Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." 2026. centralbank.gov.so. 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.

Sources

  1. ÖIF, Somalische Bevölkerung in Österreich, from Statistik Austria data, 2023 · integrationsfonds.at
  2. UN DESA, International Migrant Stock 2024 · un.org
  3. UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, Austria, 1990 to 2025 · api.unhcr.org
  4. BFA, Detailstatistik 2025 · bfa.gv.at
  5. Statistik Austria, Jahrbuch Migration und Integration 2025 · statistik.at
  6. EUAA, 2025 · dip.euaa.europa.eu
  7. IRAP, 27 April 2026 · refugeerights.org
  8. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, Migration Statistics Report 2024 · nbs.gov.so
  9. Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
  10. Falter, 3 June 2025 · falter.at

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