Forcibly displaced people in Somalia
Somalia: Forcibly displaced people was 3.39 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in Somalia, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
The most recent figure for forcibly displaced people in Somalia is 3.39 million, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 6.8% on the previous year and up 173.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Somalia peaked at 3.90 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 854,271, in 2017.
That places Somalia 12th out of 180 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1.53 million | — |
| 2011 | 1.47 million | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.36 million | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 1.11 million | -18.3% |
| 2014 | 1.12 million | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.24 million | +10.9% |
| 2016 | 1.13 million | -8.8% |
| 2017 | 854,271 | -24.5% |
| 2018 | 2.68 million | +213.8% |
| 2019 | 2.68 million | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 2.99 million | +11.5% |
| 2021 | 3.00 million | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 3.90 million | +30.0% |
| 2023 | 3.90 million | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3.18 million | -18.5% |
| 2025 | 3.39 million | +6.8% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 3.39 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 762,014, 4.5× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 3.39 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70,609, 48.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people in Somalia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +213.8% | 854,271 | 2.68 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.52 million | 854,271 | 2.68 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.39 million | 2.99 million | 3.90 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More social development data for Somalia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,967 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0454 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Somalia?
- Forcibly displaced people in Somalia was 3.39 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.90 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 854,271 in 2017.
- How does Somalia rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Somalia ranks 12th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 173.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.