Community
Bristol (Somali diaspora)
About 9,170 people in Bristol called themselves Somali or Somalilander in the 2021 Census, 1.9% of the city, the fourth-largest Somali population of any council area in England and Wales. It is a very young community: four in ten are under 15, and most live in crowded social housing in east and central Bristol.
Who lives there
Census 2021 counted 9,167 people who identified as Somali or Somalilander, 1.9% of Bristol. A narrower Somali-only count gives 7,820 (Bristol City Council, Dec 2023). Both identities live side by side here, in the same streets and families.
- Where: Lawrence Hill ward holds 40% of the community and Ashley 14%. Somalis are 19% of Lawrence Hill. Main areas are Barton Hill (23%), Upper Easton (11%), St Pauls (10%) and Temple Meads (10%).
- Age: 52% are under 20, 40% are under 15, and 10% are 50 or older.
Work and money
- Housing: 85% live in social rented housing, against 19% across Bristol. 2% own their home, 56% live in flats, and 63% are overcrowded, against 10% citywide.
- Language: 66% have English as their main language. Of the 3,135 people whose main language is Somali, 22% do not speak English well (Bristol City Council).
- Work: the city profile has no job figures. Across England and Wales, 34.1% of Somalis aged 16 to 64 are in work and 10.3% unemployed (ONS, Census 2021).
Who serves the community
Bristol City Council (housing and schools), the city's MPs, Avon and Somerset Police, and schools and GP surgeries in Easton and St Pauls. Somali community groups work in Barton Hill and Easton.
What the community faces now
- Overcrowding six times the city rate.
- A very young population that needs school places, skills and jobs.
Top needs
- Futures for a very young population: skills and paid work.
- A shared identity that holds Somali and Somalilander together.
- A trusted, open way to send help home.
- Records and documents for families.
- Company and support for mothers isolated in crowded flats.
What we don't know yet
Bristol job and income figures, the names of community groups, and numbers for minority communities. If you know, use "Fix this page".
Sources
- Bristol City Council, Dec 2023 · bristol.gov.uk
- ONS, Census 2021 · ons.gov.uk
Gathered in our research record “Community profiles”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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