Sheffield (Somali diaspora)

Sheffield's Somali community is one of the oldest inland communities in Britain. The first Somalis settled in the 1930s. More came to work in steel in the 1950s and 1960s (Sheffield City Council, Somali community study guide, 2015).

How many Somalis live in Sheffield?

The census gives several counts:

• Somali or Somalilander write-ins: 4,696, or 0.8% of 556,516 residents (Nomis, Census 2021 TS022). Of these, 1,800 wrote "Somalilander", 38% (same table).
• Born in Somalia: 2,575 in 2021 (Nomis, Census 2021 TS012), up from 1,333 in 2001 (Sheffield City Council, 2015).
• Main language Somali: 1,384 residents aged 3 and over (Nomis, Census 2021 TS024).

Earlier estimates varied widely. The council's archive guide records 2,000 Somalis in 1995, between 1,400 and 10,000 in 2003, and 2,372 in 2011 (Sheffield City Council, 2015). A 2021 local report gave about 5,000 (Sheffield Tribune, 25 September 2021).

Where in Sheffield do Somalis live?

Census 2021 ward counts, Somali and Somalilander together (Nomis, TS022 by ward):

• Burngreave: 1,520
• Darnall: 624
• Broomhill and Sharrow Vale: 484
• Firth Park: 397
• Walkley: 371
• Nether Edge and Sharrow: 279

In 2001, most Somalia-born residents lived in Broomhall (Sheffield City Council, 2015). The council names Broomhall, Burngreave, Darnall and Firth Park as the main community centres (same guide).

How did Somalis come to Sheffield?

Seamen and the 1930s. There is evidence that some Somalis settled in Burngreave in the 1930s (Sheffield Museums, Burngreave Voices). Somali seamen had settled in Sheffield as well as port towns before 1960 (Hirsi, University of Minnesota, 2026). See The first Somalis abroad.

Steel, 1940s to 1960s. Labour shortages after the Second World War drew Somalis to Sheffield, often to work in steel (Sheffield City Council, 2015). After the Merchant Navy declined in the 1960s, many seamen moved north to the steel city (Sheffield Tribune, 2021). On 30 June 1961, a celebration of the first anniversary of the Somali Republic was held at the Azena Ballroom, Gleadless (Sheffield City Council, 2015).

Family reunion and refugees, from 1988. When war broke out in 1988, UK family reunion rules let relatives of Sheffield Somali families join them (Sheffield City Council, 2015). Many 1990s refugees chose Sheffield because a community already existed there (same guide). In 1991 a local trust worked to reunite Sheffield families with relatives fleeing the war (same guide).

Census 2021 shows when Sheffield's Somalia-born residents arrived (ONS Census 2021, year of arrival, Sheffield):

• Before 1981: 18
• 1981 to 1990: 188
• 1991 to 2000: 637
• 2001 to 2010: 1,253
• 2011 to 2021: 480

The 2000s wave included people moving on from mainland Europe. In 2021, 271 Somalia-born residents held a passport from a smaller EU country (ONS Census 2021, passports held, Sheffield). See Leicester.

Do Somalis in Sheffield have work?

A significant share of the community worked in the steel industry, the council's archive guide says (Sheffield City Council, 2015). No Sheffield-only Somali employment rate has been published. Across England and Wales in 2021, 10.3% of Somalis aged 16 to 64 were unemployed, against 4.4% overall (ONS, 4 October 2023).

Local studies have followed this closely. The guide lists a 2000 report on Somali education, training and job needs, and 2006 community research (Sheffield City Council, 2015). In 2021, 1,904 of 2,575 Somalia-born residents held a UK passport (ONS Census 2021, passports held, Sheffield).

Who speaks for Somalis in Sheffield?

Lord Mayors. Magid Magid (Green) became Lord Mayor in May 2018, the city's first Somali-born mayor and its youngest (The New Arab, 19 May 2018). He came to Sheffield aged five after months in an Ethiopian refugee camp (same article).

Councillor Safiya Saeed (Labour, Burngreave) became the city's 128th Lord Mayor on 19 May 2025 (Sheffield City Council, 2025). She came to Sheffield in 1985 and is the second Lord Mayor of Somali heritage (Hyphen, 3 June 2025).

Organisations. The council's archive guide dates these groups (Sheffield City Council, 2015):

• 1981: Somali Community and Cultural Association (Israac)
• 1987: Somali Community Association
• 1994: Somali Women's Association and Welfare Group
• 2000: Somali-Tec, a South Yorkshire umbrella for Somali trainers
• 2007: Somali Community and Cultural School began Somali classes at King Edward VII school

For 2025 to 2026, the Lord Mayor chose Israac as her charity (Sheffield City Council, Lord Mayor).

What do Somalis in Sheffield face now?

• Housing, 2021: 58.8% of Somali households in England and Wales were overcrowded, against 8.4% overall (ONS, 2023).
• Language: 1,384 residents gave Somali as their main language in 2021 (Nomis, TS024).
• Health: local studies on Somali mental health (1998) and TB (2010) are held in the city archives (Sheffield City Council, 2015).

How is Sheffield tied to home?

Sheffield Somalis held Independence Day celebrations at the Town Hall in June 1986 (Sheffield City Council, 2015). On 2 April 2014 the city council passed a motion calling on the UK government to recognise Somaliland (UNPO, 2014). A petition from Sheffield's Somaliland community backed it (same report).

Burngreave residents pool money for weddings, travel and funerals, a 2021 report found (Sheffield Tribune, 2021). For money sent home, see Life after leaving.

Related pages

• The first Somalis abroad: seamen and traders
• United Kingdom (Somali diaspora)
• Other UK cities (Somali diaspora)
• Cardiff (Somali diaspora)
• Manchester (Somali diaspora)
• Leicester (Somali diaspora)
• Why and how Somalis left

Sources

1. Sheffield City Council, Libraries Archives and Information. "Sources for the Study of Sheffield's Somali Community." v1.2, September 2015. sheffield.gov.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
2. ONS via Nomis. Census 2021 TS022, Ethnic group (detailed), local authorities and Sheffield wards. nomisweb.co.uk · wards. Checked 2026-11-12.
3. ONS via Nomis. Census 2021 TS012, Country of birth: Somalia. nomisweb.co.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
4. ONS via Nomis. Census 2021 TS024, Main language (detailed), Sheffield. nomisweb.co.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
5. ONS. Census 2021 custom datasets: Somalia-born residents of Sheffield by year of arrival and by passports held. Year of arrival · Passports. Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Office for National Statistics. "Somali populations, England and Wales: Census 2021." 4 October 2023. ons.gov.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Sheffield Tribune. "'We came here and we started our lives anew'." 25 September 2021. sheffieldtribune.co.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Sheffield Museums. "Burngreave Voices: Immigration." sheffieldmuseums.org.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
9. Hirsi, I. "The First Somali Diaspora: A Transnational History of Migration, Race, and Colonialism." PhD dissertation, University of Minnesota, 2026. conservancy.umn.edu. Checked 2026-11-12.
10. The New Arab. "'Anything is possible': Meet Sheffield's first Somali Lord Mayor Magid Magid." 19 May 2018. newarab.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
11. Sheffield City Council. "Welcoming Safiya Saeed, the new Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Sheffield," 19 May 2025 · "Lord Mayor." sheffield.gov.uk · sheffield.gov.uk. Checked 2026-11-12.
12. Hyphen. "Sheffield's first Black Muslim woman lord mayor tells of pride in her new role." 3 June 2025. hyphenonline.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
13. Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO). "Somaliland: Sheffield Recognizes Independent Somaliland." April 2014. unpo.org. Checked 2026-11-12.