Canada (Somali diaspora)

How many Somalis live in Canada?

Statistics Canada counted 65,555 people who gave Somali as an ethnic or cultural origin in the 2021 Census (Statistics Canada, table 98-10-0356-01). Of these, 57,435 gave Somali as their only origin and 8,120 gave it with another (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01).

By place of birth, 34,120 people in Canada were born in Somalia (Statistics Canada, table 98-10-0302-01). Somali was the mother tongue of 44,935 people (Statistics Canada, The Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada, 2021, October 2024).

At the end of 2024, UNHCR counted 2,097 refugees and 460 asylum seekers from Somalia in Canada (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API).

Which provinces and cities have the most Somalis?

People of Somali origin by province, 2021 Census (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01):

• Ontario: 41,640
• Alberta: 16,310
• British Columbia: 2,665
• Quebec: 2,090
• Manitoba: 1,490
• Saskatchewan: 870
• Nova Scotia: 200; New Brunswick: 135; Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories: 60 each

By metropolitan area, the largest communities were (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01):

• Toronto: 24,760
• Edmonton: 11,610
• Ottawa–Gatineau: 11,070
• Calgary: 2,845, plus 890 in nearby Brooks
• Vancouver: 2,315
• Hamilton: 1,895, and Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo: 1,790
• Montréal: 1,390, and Winnipeg: 1,370
• Windsor: 1,125

Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa together hold 47,440 people, or 72% of the national total (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01).

When did Somalis come to Canada?

The largest wave came in the 1990s. Somalia was the largest source of refugee claimants in Canada in 1991 and 1993, and the third largest in 1992 (Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21). For the reasons people left, see Why and how Somalis left.

Somalia-born immigrants living in Canada in 2021, by when they arrived (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0302-01):

• Before 1980: 85
• 1980 to 1990: 1,365
• 1991 to 2000: 12,920
• 2001 to 2010: 6,705
• 2011 to 2015: 5,105
• 2016 to 2021: 6,315

Another 1,235 Somalia-born people were non-permanent residents in 2021, such as refugee claimants waiting for a decision (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0302-01).

Did they come as refugees or as family?

Mostly as refugees. Of 32,415 Somalia-born immigrants admitted since 1980 and living in Canada in 2021, 25,305 came as refugees (Statistics Canada, table 98-10-0317-01). Another 5,795 were sponsored by family, and 895 came as economic immigrants (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0317-01).

Family sponsorship was strongest in the 1990s: 2,735 of that decade's arrivals came that way (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0317-01). By the mid-1990s, Somali migration to Canada had reached the family reunification stage (Pier 21).

Papers slowed many families. From 1993, refugees needed identity documents that Somalia could not issue (Canadian Council for Refugees, 1999). In 1997, Canada created a special class letting Somali and Afghan refugees apply for permanent residence five years after being recognised (Canadian Council for Refugees). See Refugee papers and status.

How many Somalis has Canada admitted recently?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes new permanent residents by citizenship. Somali citizens admitted each year, rounded (IRCC, permanent residents by country of citizenship and immigration category):

• 2015–2019: 1,160 · 1,315 · 1,390 · 2,145 · 3,275
• 2020–2024: 1,010 · 2,075 · 2,940 · 5,170 · 5,805
• 2025: 4,845
• January to August 2026: 2,005

Most were resettled refugees. In 2024, 3,255 came through private sponsorship and 1,690 as government-assisted refugees (IRCC). Another 180 were protected persons recognised inside Canada, and 600 were sponsored family, mostly spouses (IRCC).

IRCC updates these figures every month (IRCC open data). For the camps many resettled refugees leave from, see Refugee camps.

How many are citizens, and how young are they?

Of the 34,120 people born in Somalia, 24,055 (70.5%) were Canadian citizens in 2021 (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0302-01). Most of the 10,070 non-citizens had arrived since 2011 (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0302-01).

The community is young. Of the 65,555 people of Somali origin, 17,805 (27%) were under 15 and 14,135 were aged 15 to 24 (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01). Only 2,260 (3.4%) were 65 or older (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01).

A Canadian-born generation is growing. In 2021, 38,055 people of Somali origin were first generation and 26,930 were second generation, born in Canada to an immigrant parent (Statistics Canada, table 98-10-0338-01). Of the 65,555, 62,625 were Muslim (Statistics Canada, table 98-10-0341-01).

What schooling and work do they have?

National job and schooling figures for Somali Canadians have not been published in Statistics Canada's standard 2021 Census tables. City pages give what is known locally. Calgary's page covers work in the meat plants of southern Alberta, and Toronto's covers the school board's work with Somali students (Calgary; Toronto).

Most new arrivals are refugees, not skilled-worker immigrants. Only 60 of the 5,805 Somali citizens admitted in 2024 came through economic programmes (IRCC).

Who speaks for the community?

Ahmed Hussen, Member of Parliament since 2015, was Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship from January 2017 (Ahmed Hussen, MP). He came to Canada as a refugee aged 16 and was national president of the Canadian Somali Congress (Ahmed Hussen, MP). Provincial lawmakers, councillors and community centres are listed on the Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary pages. MPs, provincial legislators, councillors and public figures are listed on Somali Canadians in public life.

What do they face now?

• Waiting for papers: 1,235 Somalia-born people were non-permanent residents in 2021 (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0302-01).
• Fewer admissions: Somali permanent residents fell from 5,805 in 2024 to 4,845 in 2025 (IRCC).
• A young population: almost half (49%) of people of Somali origin were under 25 in 2021 (Statistics Canada, 98-10-0356-01).

How are they tied to home?

Language is one tie: 44,935 people in Canada reported Somali as their mother tongue in 2021 (Statistics Canada, 2024). Money is another. Individual remittances to Somalia reached about US$3.13 billion in 2025, about 24% of GDP (The EastAfrican, 2026; Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).

Family sponsorship keeps the link open: 4,260 Somali citizens joined family in Canada as sponsored relatives from 2015 to 2025 (IRCC). For the wider picture, see Life after leaving and Somali refugees by the numbers.

What else has been reported?

• Jobs, 2011: Wikipedia gives a labour force participation rate of 53.5%, an employment rate of 42% and unemployment of 21% for Somali Canadians, from the 2011 National Household Survey; the sentence carries a "citation needed" tag (Wikipedia: "Somali Canadians").

Related pages

• United States (Somali diaspora)
• Toronto
• Ottawa
• Edmonton
• Calgary
• Why and how Somalis left
• Refugee camps
• Refugee papers and status

Sources

1. Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0356-01, "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age," 2021 Census. statcan.gc.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
2. Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0302-01, "Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth and citizenship," 2021 Census. statcan.gc.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
3. Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0317-01, "Period of immigration by admission category and place of birth," 2021 Census. statcan.gc.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
4. Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0338-01, "Ethnic or cultural origin by generation status," 2021 Census. statcan.gc.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
5. Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0341-01, "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins," 2021 Census. statcan.gc.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Statistics Canada. "The Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada, 2021: A Sociodemographic Portrait." 89-657-X2024005, 25 October 2024. statcan.gc.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. "Canada – Admissions of Permanent Residents by Country of Citizenship and Immigration Category, January 2015 – August 2026." Open data. ircc.canada.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Government of Canada, Open Government Portal. "Permanent Residents – Monthly IRCC Updates." open.canada.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
9. Raska, J. "Unwanted? Canada and the Resettlement of Chilean, Indochinese and Somali Refugees." Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, updated 19 October 2020. pier21.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
10. Canadian Council for Refugees. "Refugees in limbo: a human rights issue." October 1999. ccrweb.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
11. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia as country of origin, 2024. api.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
12. Ahmed Hussen, MP. "About." ahmedhussen.libparl.ca. Checked 2026-11-12.
13. The EastAfrican. "How diaspora steady Mogadishu economy in times of turmoil." 2026. theeastafrican.co.ke. Checked 2026-11-12.
14. Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." 2026. centralbank.gov.so. Checked 2026-11-12.
15. Wikipedia. "Somali Canadians". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Canadians. Checked 2026-11-12.