Community
Sweden (Somali diaspora)
About 70,000 people born in Somalia live in Sweden, with about 32,000 more born in Sweden to Somali parents. Gothenburg and Stockholm have the most, and from 2026 Sweden offers up to SEK 350,000 to refugees who choose to return home.
Who lives there
Statistics Sweden (SCB) counted 63,853 residents born in Somalia in 2016, and 41,335 of them were still Somali citizens. A later figure gives 70,173 born in Somalia and 31,761 born in Sweden with both parents from Somalia (Somalis in Sweden, citing SCB).
- Cities (born in Somalia): Gothenburg 9,756, Stockholm 8,447, Malmö 2,556, Linköping 2,542, Örebro 2,234, and Borlänge about 3,000.
- Neighbourhoods: Rinkeby-Kista in Stockholm (2,878). In Gothenburg most live in Biskopsgården, Bergsjön, Angered, Hjällbo and Hammarkullen.
Work and money
- Work: only 21% of Somalia-born residents of Malmö were in work, in a 2014 study.
- School: in 2010, 44% of Somalis aged 16 to 64 had little formal education.
- Money home: in 2019 the banks SEB, Swedbank and Nordea closed the accounts of 13 hawala firms under anti-money-laundering rules. Somalia's foreign minister said money from the diaspora is larger than international aid (Somalis in Sweden).
Who serves the community
The Riksdag and the government; municipalities, which run schools, social services and housing; the employment service (Arbetsförmedlingen); and the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). About 100 Somali organisations existed in 2016, including a national federation, Somaliska riksförbundet i Sverige.
What the community faces now
- Return grant: in September 2024 the government said it would raise the grant for refugees who return home to up to SEK 350,000 per adult from 2026. Experts warned it could push people back to unsafe places such as Somalia (South China Morning Post).
- Sending money: bank closures in 2019 made it harder to send money home.
Top needs
- Paid work.
- A legal, trusted, open channel to send money home.
- Clear facts for families weighing return.
- Futures for young people in the suburbs.
- Unity across many small associations.
Sources differ
Reports give different start dates for the higher return grant, from January to December 2026.
What we don't know yet
Current totals for 2025 and 2026, and job figures after 2014. If you know, use "Fix this page".
Sources
- Somalis in Sweden · en.wikipedia.org
- South China Morning Post · scmp.com
Gathered in our research record “Community profiles”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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