Malaysia (Somali diaspora)

How many Somalis live in Malaysia?

UNHCR's Malaysia office listed about 2,945 Somalis among the refugees and asylum seekers it had registered at the end of February 2026 (UNHCR Malaysia, Figures at a glance). The total was some 215,600, most of them from Myanmar (UNHCR Malaysia). Earlier editions of the same page gave 3,010 Somalis in May 2023 and 2,860 in May 2024 (UNHCR Malaysia).

UNHCR's global data give a similar picture. At the end of 2025 it counted 2,172 Somali refugees and 742 Somali asylum seekers in Malaysia (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, Malaysia, 1990 to 2025).

Malaysia's government gave its own figure in Parliament. In September 2024, about 1,918 of 191,832 registered refugees and asylum seekers, or 1%, were from Somalia (The Star, 18 December 2024, citing a written parliamentary answer).

These counts leave out Somali students and workers who hold visas. A community leader estimated in 2019 that more than 3,000 Somalis had sought refuge in Malaysia (Free Malaysia Today, 14 August 2019).

How did Somalis come to Malaysia?

Malaysia became a destination late. UNHCR counted fewer than 100 Somali refugees there each year until 2007 (UNHCR API). The number rose to 647 in 2009 and passed 2,000 in 2021 (UNHCR API).

Students came too. A 2011 report counted about 1,500 Somali students in Malaysia, mostly at public universities (Hiiraan Online, 21 February 2011). For the wider routes, see Migration routes.

What does Malaysian law allow refugees?

Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol (Malay Mail, 23 June 2026). Under Malaysian law, refugees are treated the same as undocumented migrants (Al Jazeera, 7 February 2024).

A UNHCR card gives some access to health care and serves as a document, but it gives no legal residence or right to work (Malay Mail, 2026). The government says it does not deport people who hold valid UNHCR cards (Malay Mail, 2026).

In June 2023 the Prime Minister signed a revised National Security Council directive on managing refugees, including a future government registration system (The Star, 2024). See Refugee papers and status for how refugee papers differ by country.

What work do Somalis in Malaysia do?

Without work rights, most refugees take informal jobs (Malay Mail, 2026). Refugees in Malaysia mostly work in restaurants, shops, other services, farming and construction, often without contracts (Al Jazeera, 2024).

Many are paid less than the national minimum wage of 1,500 ringgit a month (Al Jazeera, 2024). Somali refugees told reporters in 2019 that finding jobs was one of their hardest problems (Free Malaysia Today, 2019).

Can Somali children go to school in Malaysia?

Many Somali refugee children study in community schools. A Somali refugee community school in Gombak, near Kuala Lumpur, taught about 100 children in 2019 (Free Malaysia Today, 2019). Its leaders said nearly 200 more Somali children had no school place (Free Malaysia Today, 2019).

Higher education is a different story. In 2011 Universiti Utara Malaysia alone had 180 Somali students in business and IT degrees (Hiiraan Online, 2011). In July 2026 Hormuud University in Mogadishu sent its first students on a one-month exchange to Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Dawan, 27 July 2026).

Who speaks for Somalis in Malaysia?

• Somalia's embassy: the Somali Ambassador to Malaysia met a committee of Somali students in Kuala Lumpur with Somalia's Minister of Education in June (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
• Community leaders: Somali refugee leaders in Kuala Lumpur run education and youth activities for the community (Free Malaysia Today, 2019).

What do Somalis in Malaysia face now?

• No legal status: refugees without UNHCR cards risk arrest, detention and deportation under the Immigration Act (Malay Mail, 2026).
• Stalled resettlement: resettlement of refugees from Malaysia to third countries has largely stalled (Malay Mail, 2026).
• Language: Somali refugee leaders named language as one of the community's biggest struggles (Free Malaysia Today, 2019).

How are Somalis in Malaysia tied to home?

Somalia's government keeps close education ties with Malaysia, through student exchanges and ministerial visits (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Somalia's records show 9 migrants returning from Malaysia between 2020 and 2023 (Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, Migration Statistics Report 2024). For the full picture, see Life after leaving.

Related pages

• Somali diaspora hub
• Refugee papers and status
• Somali refugees by the numbers
• Australia (Somali diaspora)
• Türkiye (Somali diaspora)

Sources

1. UNHCR Malaysia. "Figures at a glance in Malaysia." Editions to February 2026. unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
2. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Malaysia, 1990 to 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
3. The Star (Bernama). "191,832 refugees, asylum seekers in Malaysia as of September." 18 December 2024. thestar.com.my. Checked 2026-11-12.
4. Free Malaysia Today. "Somali refugee leader hopes for brighter days ahead." 14 August 2019. freemalaysiatoday.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
5. Hiiraan Online. "Malaysia: Most Somali students are driven to get an education." 21 February 2011. hiiraan.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Malay Mail. "Why refugees like the Rohingya and other asylum seekers find themselves in a legal limbo in Malaysia." 23 June 2026. malaymail.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Al Jazeera. "In legal no-man's land, refugees in Malaysia struggle to eat, pay rent." 7 February 2024. aljazeera.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Dawan Africa. "Somali students to depart for Malaysia under new academic exchange programme." 27 July 2026. dawan.africa. Checked 2026-11-12.
9. Federal Republic of Somalia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Delegation meets Somali students in Kuala Lumpur. web.mfa.gov.so. Checked 2026-11-12.
10. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. "Migration Statistics Report," first edition. 2024. nbs.gov.so. Checked 2026-11-12.