Community
France (Somali diaspora)
At the end of 2024, 15,287 people from Somalia held protection in France, by the count of OFPRA, the French refugee office. The number has grown fast, from about 1,000 refugees in 2010. Somalis also seek asylum in Mayotte, the French island in the Indian Ocean.
How many Somalis live in France?
At the end of 2024, 15,287 people from Somalia were under the protection of OFPRA, France's office for refugees and stateless people (OFPRA, Rapport d'activité 2024). Of these, 5,752 held refugee status and 9,535 held subsidiary protection (OFPRA, 2024). Women were 46.1% of the refugees and 32.2% of those with subsidiary protection (OFPRA, 2024).
UNHCR uses the same base. It counted 15,287 Somali refugees in France at the end of 2024, and 17,014 refugees plus 1,783 asylum seekers at the end of 2025 (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, France, 1990 to 2025).
These counts leave out Somalis who became French citizens, came by other routes, or were born in France. The 2006 French census counted 1,373 people born in Somalia (France–Somalia relations, Wikipedia).
How did Somalis come to France?
France was not a main destination in the 1990s. UNHCR counted 530 Somali refugees in France in 1995 and 587 in 2005 (UNHCR API). The number passed 1,000 in 2010 (UNHCR API).
Growth then sped up. Somali refugees in France rose from 2,007 in 2015 to 5,774 in 2020 and 13,663 in 2023 (UNHCR API). Most arrived overland or by sea through other European countries; see Migration routes.
Who applies for asylum, and why?
In 2024, 2,036 people from Somalia made a first asylum application in France, 5.8% more than in 2023 (OFPRA, 2024). Somalia was the 17th-largest nationality among applicants (OFPRA, 2024). Women were 36.1% of applicants and minors 25%, and the average age was 30.8 (OFPRA, 2024).
Most applicants said they came from south-central Somalia, mainly Mogadishu, Lower Shabelle and Hiiraan (OFPRA, 2024). Most gave refusal to work with or submit to Al-Shabaab as their reason for leaving (OFPRA, 2024). Others cited local conflicts, persecution as members of minority groups, or refusal to join forces fighting Al-Shabaab after 2022 (OFPRA, 2024).
Women often described refusing forced marriage, or refusing female genital cutting for their daughters (OFPRA, 2024). For the wider reasons people leave, see Why and how Somalis left.
How many get protection?
In 2024 OFPRA made 2,227 decisions on Somali applications and granted protection in 53.3% of them (OFPRA, 2024). It gave refugee status to 424 people and subsidiary protection to 760 (OFPRA, 2024). The asylum appeals court (CNDA) granted protection to another 492, for 1,676 in all (OFPRA, 2024).
Refugee status and subsidiary protection carry different papers and residence permits. See Refugee papers and status.
Why do Somalis go to Mayotte?
Mayotte is a French department in the Indian Ocean, and asylum there is French asylum. In 2024 Somalis made 15% of first asylum applications in Mayotte, after people from Congo and the Comoros (OFPRA, 2024). Mayotte received 2,622 applications that year, 97% of all in France's Indian Ocean territories (OFPRA, 2024).
The sea route is dangerous. In November 2024 about 70 Somalis left Mombasa, Kenya, in fishing boats bound for Mayotte, more than 997 km away (AP via Africanews, 26 December 2024). The engines broke down, and 25 people died at sea off Madagascar before 48 were rescued (AP via Africanews).
Survivors said each paid smugglers US$6,500, after flying from Mogadishu to Nairobi and taking a bus to Mombasa (AP via Africanews). They were flown home in early December 2024 (AP via Africanews).
Who speaks for Somalis in France?
French public bodies decide on protection and publish the numbers. OFPRA decides asylum claims and protects recognised refugees, and the CNDA hears appeals (OFPRA, 2024). OFPRA also sent officers to Mayotte in 2024 to interview applicants, including Somalis (OFPRA, 2024).
France and Somalia established relations soon after Somalia's independence, and Somalia has had an embassy in Paris (France–Somalia relations, Wikipedia).
What do Somalis in France face now?
- A young community: a quarter of Somali applicants in 2024 were minors (OFPRA, 2024). OFPRA also recorded 22 unaccompanied Somali children (OFPRA, 2024).
- Mostly subsidiary protection: nearly two of every three protected Somalis held subsidiary protection rather than refugee status at the end of 2024 (OFPRA, 2024).
- Waiting: 1,783 Somali asylum seekers were waiting for a decision at the end of 2025 (UNHCR API).
How are Somalis in France tied to home?
Most Somali refugees in France were recognised after 2015, when there were only 2,007 (UNHCR API). Worldwide, Somalis abroad sent home US$3,134 million in 2025, about 24% of the economy (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025). For the full picture, see Life after leaving and Somali refugees by the numbers.
Related pages
- Somali diaspora hub
- Migration routes
- Refugee papers and status
- Italy (Somali diaspora)
- Switzerland (Somali diaspora)
- Germany (Somali diaspora)
Sources
- OFPRA (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides). "Rapport d'activité 2024." June 2025. ofpra.gouv.fr. Checked 2026-11-12.
- UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to France, 1990 to 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
- Associated Press, via Africanews. "Somali migrant survives sea tragedy, vows to try again for Europe." 26 December 2024. africanews.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
- Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." 2026. centralbank.gov.so. Checked 2026-11-12.
- Wikipedia. "France–Somalia relations." en.wikipedia.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
Sources
- OFPRA, Rapport d'activité 2024 · ofpra.gouv.fr
- UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, France, 1990 to 2025 · api.unhcr.org
- France–Somalia relations, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- AP via Africanews, 26 December 2024 · africanews.com
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
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Relations with Somalia
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- Germany (Somali diaspora)About 60,900 Somali nationals who arrived since 2014 lived in Germany at the end of 2025. Numbers, asylum status, work, court cases and ties home.
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