Nigeria vs Somalia: Refugees by country of origin
Nigeria
467,605 people
in 2024
Somalia
894,049 people
in 2024
Nigeria rank
11th
Somalia rank
8th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Nigeria
- Somalia
How they compare
Somalia currently reports 894,049 people against 467,605 people in Nigeria, a difference of 426,444 people.
That makes Somalia's figure about 1.9 times Nigeria's.
Across all 38 years both countries report, Somalia has been ahead every year.
Nigeria ranks 11th and Somalia ranks 8th of 204 countries.
Somalia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | Somalia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.67 people | 257,488 people | 257,476 people | Somalia |
| 1990s | 1,897 people | 618,732 people | 616,835 people | Somalia |
| 2000s | 16,371 people | 469,604 people | 453,233 people | Somalia |
| 2010s | 138,156 people | 1.02 million people | 880,360 people | Somalia |
| 2020s | 401,131 people | 822,325 people | 421,194 people | Somalia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Nigeria or Somalia?
- Somalia, at 894,049 people against 467,605 people in Nigeria as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Nigeria and Somalia?
- 426,444 people, with Somalia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Somalia?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2024.
- How do Nigeria and Somalia rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Nigeria ranks 11th 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.