Moving to South Africa from Somalia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Somalia to South Africa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Somalia to South Africa, and you’d need to navigate life in Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Pretoria averages 77°F vs 86°F in Mogadishu, making it significantly cooler.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Somalia to South Africa, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to South Africa?
Top countries of origin for South Africa's foreign-born residents.
- 690,243
- 350,463
- 192,008
- 94,119
- 67,382
- 63,892
- · · ·
-
7.58,491
Somalia
Key Indicator Comparison
How Somalia and South Africa stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
Somalia performs better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Somalia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Somalia generally does better on environment, though South Africa leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
Somalia generally does better on infrastructure, though South Africa leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Somalia generally does better on employment & economy, though South Africa leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
South Africa performs significantly better than Somalia across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Mogadishu | Pretoria |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 86°/74°F (30°/24°C) | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/76°F (31°/25°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 84°/73°F (29°/23°C) | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/15°C) |
View all months
| Month | Mogadishu | Pretoria |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 86°/73°F (30.1°/23.0°C) | 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.1°C) |
| Feb | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.2°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/18.0°C) |
| Mar | 87°/76°F (30.7°/24.7°C) | 81°/62°F (27.3°/16.6°C) |
| Apr | 90°/78°F (32.0°/25.5°C) | 77°/56°F (24.8°/13.1°C) |
| May | 88°/76°F (31.1°/24.7°C) | 72°/48°F (22.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.5°/23.6°C) | 67°/41°F (19.6°/5.2°C) |
| Jul | 83°/73°F (28.5°/23.0°C) | 68°/42°F (19.8°/5.3°C) |
| Aug | 83°/73°F (28.5°/23.0°C) | 72°/47°F (22.3°/8.2°C) |
| Sep | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.2°C) | 76°/53°F (24.4°/11.8°C) |
| Oct | 86°/76°F (30.1°/24.2°C) | 77°/57°F (25.2°/14.0°C) |
| Nov | 87°/75°F (30.5°/24.1°C) | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) |
| Dec | 87°/74°F (30.6°/23.5°C) | 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C) |
South African Weather ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Somalia and South Africa. To live, work, or study long-term in South Africa, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check South Africa's immigration authority.
Somalia passport holder visiting South Africa
Visa Required
South Africa passport holder visiting Somalia
Visa Online (e-Visa)Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from South Africa?
With 3.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, South Africa can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Somalia and South Africa.
Is South Africa safe for expats?
Somalia performs better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in South Africa compared to Somalia?
Somalia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 8.1 doctors per 10,000 people in South Africa, compared to 0.2 in Somalia. South Africa scores 71 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Somalia: 27).
What's the weather like in South Africa compared to Somalia?
The average high temperature in Pretoria is 77°F, compared to 86°F in Mogadishu. Pretoria receives around 27.0 in of rainfall per year, while Mogadishu gets 18.7 in.
What language do they speak in South Africa?
The official languages in South Africa are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. In Somalia, the official languages are Arabic and Somali.
Compare further: Somalia vs. South Africa
More relocation comparisons
At a Glance
SO
|
ZA
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,386,248 | 57,516,665 |
| Currency | Somali Shilling (SOS) | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Languages | Arabic, Somali | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Driving side | Right | Left |
| Calling code | +252 | +27 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | — | 10111 |