BACKGROUND: Largest group of refugees
The citizens of Somalia form the third largest group of immigrants in Helsinki.
At the beginning of 2004, a total of 2,346 Somalis lived in the capital city, amounting to some eight percent of the total number of foreigners.
In addition, 715 people who have Somali backgrounds but who have received Finnish citizenship live in Helsinki.
Large numbers of Somalis arrived in Finland in the early 1990s when the civil war raged in Somalia. In fact, the Somalis form the largest group of refugees both in Helsinki and in Finland as a whole.
The age structure of Somalis and other African immigrants differs from that of other immigrant groups. There are plenty of children and young adults, and very few people over the age of 65. One quarter of the Somalis were born in Finland.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 4.4.2005
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