Over 5,000 Somalis Migrate to Europe in Eight Months Amid Economic Hardship and Insecurity  

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Within the last eight months, over 5,000 Somalis have reportedly crossed over to Europe through land and sea, following the data collected between January and August 2025 by the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).

Analysis shows that this was a threefold increase compared to the same period in 2024, the United Nations International Organisation of Migration (IOM) says. Many Somalis travel abroad in search of better opportunities due to the country's dwindling economic fortunes.

According to the report, Somali migrants were recorded across all major routes into Europe, with the majority arriving in Italy through the Central Mediterranean, a notorious entry point to Europe for Africans.

In Spain, a good number used the Western Mediterranean, while others who entered Greece and Cyprus used the Eastern Mediterranean. A smaller group reached Spain’s Canary Islands after crossing the Atlantic route along West Africa.

This data shows that Somalis account for almost four per cent (4%) of the immigrants who reached Europe in 2025. The country is facing political instability and insecurity, with Al-Shabaab and ISIS militants making life unbearable.

The data is largely taken in Spain and Italy, with Greece yet to do tabulation of the numbers of Somalis who managed to arrive. Hence, the figures for those who used the Eastern Mediterranean entry are yet to be incorporated in the report.

Migration experts attribute the surge in Somali migration to a combination of factors, including insecurity, unemployment, and limited economic opportunities at home. Somalia is in the process of state-building, and throughout this period, economic challenges are undeniably high.

Many families, they added, view Europe as a place of safety and better prospects—despite the perilous journeys across the sea that often claim lives. The opposition politicians have accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of failing to steer the country back to economic prosperity.

GAROWE ONLINE