Somalis in Norway are citizens and residents of Norway who are of Somali descent. They are the biggest African migration group in Norway. 36.5% of Somalis in Norway live in the capital Oslo. Almost all Somali in Norway have come to Norway as refugees from the Somali Civil War. In 2016, Somalis were the largest non-European migrant group in Norway.
Demographics
According to Statistics Norway, , there were 28,554 immigrants from Somalia living in Norway and 14,719 people who were born in Norway to two Somali-born parents. The number of Somalis in Norway has more than doubled since the mid-2000s. According to social researcher Anders Næss, "This rapid population growth is attributable to high birth rates, family reunification, and a continuing stream of asylum seekers, and creates a highly diverse population in terms of residency duration, migration experiences, education, and acquired familiarity with a Norwegian cultural and institutional context".
According to the Oslo Municipality, as of 2014, a total of 8,758 Somalia-born immigrants reside in Oslo. Of those individuals, many arrived during the 2000-2004 period (2,811 persons).
In 2004, Somali women had the highest nativity rate in Norway with 4.4 children per female, in contrast to 1.73 for Norwegian women.
History
The first Somalis in Norway were sailors and arrived in the country during the 1970s. After a failed coup in Somalia in 1978 the first refugees came to Norway which were followed by more during 1980s. During this period most Somalis who came to Norway belonged to the Issaq-clan. After the Somali Civil War broke out in 1991 the number of asylum seekers increased. During the 1990s and up to about 2001, most asylum seekers said they belonged to the Hawiye clan which resides in the southern part of Somalia.
Attachments to home country
Sociologist Katrine Fangen conducted interviews with 50 Somalis living in Norway. According to her interviews, both men and women were positive towards gender equality in terms of both men and women working outside the home. There was a significant difference for sexuality, where boys had much greater sexual freedom than girls and they could engage in behaviour that would be strongly sanctioned in a female. It was also shown that Norwegian-born women of Somali heritage felt they had greater freedom than they would have had in Somalia.
The honor of a woman is a very important subject for most of the interviewees and young women are preoccupied with protecting their reputation against accusations of dishonor. The widespread use of both the hijab and less revealing types of Islamic veil arise from the need to conform to Muslim norms of how a young woman should behave. Wearing the hijab also causes older Somalis to respect them more. Other reasons to wear the Islamic veils are religiosity and protesting against Western culture.
In a 2018 National Police Directorate report, it was found that some Somali parents who lost custody of their children had sent them to Quranic schools in Somalia. As a response, Norwegian authorities suggested cancelling the passports of children who risked being sent to Quranic schools as a way to stop them being taken abroad by their relatives against their will.
Socioeconomics
According to Statistics Norway, as of 2012-2014, the percentage of Somalia-born immigrants in Norway with a persistently low income averaged out at 70.7%. This was a higher proportion than the native population and other immigrant groups, largely because most Somali individuals arrived as asylum immigrants, who tend to have lower incomes. The percentage of Somalia-born immigrants with a persistently low income declined the longer the individuals resided in Norway. As of 2014, around 72% of Somalia-born immigrants have a persistently low income, with individuals born in Norway to Somali immigrants having a smaller low income percentage of approximately 65%.
But in contrast the Somalis are one of the immigrant groups in Norway that send most money to their home country In the first half of the year 2023 alone, Somalis send 177 million US dollars to Somalia. In comparison Afghan immigrants sendt 136 million US dollars in the same period.
In 2011, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration highlighted 100 Somali women who had divorced their husbands and claimed extra income support as the sole provider for the family, then had more children by their former husbands. Each of the families involved had obtained an average of 80 thousand euros from state agencies as a result of doing this.