Eritrea vs Somalia: Refugees by country of origin
Eritrea
551,296 people
in 2024
Somalia
894,049 people
in 2024
Eritrea rank
10th
Somalia rank
8th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Eritrea
- Somalia
How they compare
Somalia currently reports 894,049 people against 551,296 people in Eritrea, a difference of 342,753 people.
That makes Somalia's figure about 1.6 times Eritrea's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 46 shared years of data; in 1979 it was Eritrea ahead.
Eritrea ranks 10th and Somalia ranks 8th of 204 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Eritrea averaged higher in 1 and Somalia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eritrea | Somalia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 400 people | 90 people | 310 people | Eritrea |
| 1980s | 834.4 people | 77,840 people | 77,006 people | Somalia |
| 1990s | 348,544 people | 618,732 people | 270,188 people | Somalia |
| 2000s | 222,556 people | 469,604 people | 247,048 people | Somalia |
| 2010s | 379,349 people | 1.02 million people | 639,167 people | Somalia |
| 2020s | 532,091 people | 822,325 people | 290,234 people | Somalia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Eritrea or Somalia?
- Somalia, at 894,049 people against 551,296 people in Eritrea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Eritrea and Somalia?
- 342,753 people, with Somalia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and Somalia?
- 46 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2024.
- How do Eritrea and Somalia rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Eritrea ranks 10th and Somalia ranks 8th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Refugees by country of origin. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
People who fled their country of origin and are in need of international protection. Refugees are those who have already been granted asylum status in the country they moved to. This includes all refugees, not just those who fled that year.