Somalis in the Netherlands


Somalis in the Netherlands are residents or naturalized citizens of the Netherlands who are of Somali ancestry. They form one of the larger Somali communities in Europe and amongst the second largest African foreign community in the Netherlands. Somali people form the second largest African community in the Netherlands and are one of the country's fastest growing communities.

Migration history

From 1989 to 1998, the Netherlands was the second-most common European destination for Somali asylum-seekers, only slightly behind the United Kingdom and more than double the total of the next-most common destination, Denmark. However, between 2000 and 2005, there was a significant outflow of Somalis from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom, unofficially estimated to be as large as 20,000 people. Factors mentioned as driving forces behind the exodus included an increase in opposition to Muslim immigration, as exemplified by the rise of politician Pim Fortuyn, Somali opposition to housing policies which forced them to live scattered in small groups all over various cities rather than in a larger agglomerated community, a restrictive socio-economic environment which, among other things, made it difficult for new arrivals to find work, and the comparative ease of starting a business and acquiring the means to get off social welfare in the UK.

Demography

, Statistics Netherlands estimated the following figures with respect to Dutch people of Somali origin:
  • 15,281 persons of first-generation background
  • 6,517 persons of second-generation background, of which:
  • *543 persons with one parent born in the Netherlands
  • *5,974 persons with both parents born out of the Netherlands
For a total of 21,798 persons. This represented roughly 9% growth over the 1996 total of 20,060 persons; the composition of the population had changed slightly, with the proportion of the population of second-generation background more than doubling over that time frame. The proportion of men has typically been greater than that of women. Most men are single without dependents, while most women are single mothers with one or more children. This is largely due to being only able to send certain family members to a different country.

Religiosity

According to a 2018 report, Islam takes a central role in the lives of nearly all Somalis and in many ways their religiosity increased from the already high levels in 2009.
Religious behaviour and religious attitudes among Muslims
15 years and older, by origin, 2015		Somali
%
regards self as Muslim95
Non-religious5
Visits mosque at least weekly38
Prays five times a day80
Fasted every day during Ramadan70
Eats halal everyday94
Wears the headscarf 90
My faith is an important part of who I am93
I wouldn’t like it if my daughter married
someone from another faith		50
Muslims should be able to live in accordance with the
rules of Islam		74

Notable individuals