Total population | |
---|---|
Zimbabwean-born residents in the United Kingdom: 130,593 – 0.2% (2021/22 Census) [note 1] England: 121,346 – 0.2% (2021) [1] Scotland: 5,282 – 0.1% (2022) [2] Wales: 2,801 – 0.09% (2021) [1] Northern Ireland: 1,164 – 0.06% (2021) [3] Zimbabwean citizens/passports held: 29,990 (England and Wales only, 2021) [4] Population of Zimbabwean origin 200,000–500,000 (2006 community leader estimates) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
London · Luton · Leeds · Slough · Milton Keynes · Manchester · Birmingham · Leicester | |
Languages | |
English (British English) · Shona · Ndebele | |
Religion | |
Protestantism · Catholicism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Black British · South African British, Kenyan British, Australian British
|
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Zimbabweans Britons are British people who were born in Zimbabwe or can trace their ancestry to immigrants from Zimbabwe who emigrated to the United Kingdom. While the first natives of the country then known as Southern Rhodesia arrived in Britain in larger numbers from the late-1960s, the majority of immigrants arrived during the 1990s and 2000s. The Zimbabwean community in the UK is extremely diverse, consisting of individuals of differing racial, ethnic, class, and political groups. [5] There are a diverse mix of asylum seekers, professionals, investors, businesspeople, labour migrants, students, graduates, undocumented migrants, and others who have gained British citizenship. [6] [5]
The International Organization for Migration has characterised Zimbabwean migration to the UK as divided into three waves. The initial wave of significant Zimbabwean migration consisted of White Zimbabweans who migrated after the country's transition to Black majority rule in 1980, due to uncertainty about their future after losing their privileges. The second major wave lasted from 1990–97, caused by the economic hardship that resulted from Zimbabwe's application of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's Structural Adjustment Programme. The third wave began in 1998 and has resulted from political and social unrest in Zimbabwe, owing to Mugabeist policies focused on land reform, race relations and persecution of political opponents. Prior to November 2002, Zimbabweans were free to travel to the UK without a visa and this provided a route to political asylum. In November 2002, the UK Government introduced the requirement for Zimbabweans to apply for visas in order to travel to the UK, making it more difficult for them to apply for asylum. [5] The number of Zimbabweans applying for asylum has fallen, and increasing numbers have sought refuge in neighbouring South Africa instead. [7]
In contrast, wealthier Zimbabweans tend to have an easier route to the UK, with many having family or ancestral ties to the country, while others are able to arrive as skilled professionals, investors or students, making the community wealthier than arrivals from other countries in Africa and more comparable to South African or Australian Britons. [8]
Beginning as early as 1965, after the Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence, Zimbabweans began move to Britain permanently, settling in places that offered greater access to employment, establishing significant communities in Greater London; Berkshire; Buckinghamshire; Hertfordshire, as well as the cities of Reading; Luton; Slough and Milton Keynes. [9] There are also smaller communities of Zimbabwean Britons in Leeds, Greater Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol. Overall Zimbabweans Britons tend to be more present in Southern England and metropolitan regions than the British population as a whole. [9]
While white Zimbabweans were the first to migrate to the UK in large numbers, the majority of Zimbabweans in the UK today are of Shona descent, with significant minorities of Ndebele, European, Asian and mixed-race descent. Additionally, a disproportionate number of Jewish Zimbabweans are represented in the UK compared to similar communities in Australia and South Africa. [10]
The majority of Zimbabweans in the UK are first-generation immigrants. [5] According to Census figures, in 1971 some 7,905 people born in what is now Zimbabwe were living in the UK. This figure rose to 16,330 in 1981 and to 21,252 in 1991. [5] The 2001 UK Census recorded 49,524 people residing in the UK who had been born in Zimbabwe. [11] The Office for National Statistics estimates that in 2019 there were 128,000 people resident in the UK who had been born in Zimbabwe. [12]
Unofficial estimates of the total Zimbabwean British population, including those born in the UK of Zimbabwean origin,[ failed verification ] vary significantly. [5] Numerous newspapers have speculated that the population might be as large as one million, including an estimate of 600,000 by The Observer in 2003, [5] but community organisations and leaders put the population in the range of 200,000 to 500,000. [5]
The Zimbabwean population is widely dispersed across the UK, albeit with a greater concentration in south east England. [13] The largest communities can be found in the UK's larger cities and towns. The table below shows the geographic spread of Zimbabwean people in the UK in 2006, based on estimates by community leaders. [5]
Estimated Zimbabwean population | Location(s) |
---|---|
40,000 | London |
20,000 each | Leeds, Luton, Leicester |
10,000 each | Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Reading, Sheffield, Slough |
5,000 each | Coventry, Glasgow, Wolverhampton |
3,000 each | Edinburgh, Liverpool, Southampton |
2,000 | Bristol, Cambridge, Peterborough |
1,000 each | Cardiff, Oxford |
The table below shows the population of Zimbabwe-born people by district in England and Wales according to results of the 2021 Census. [14]
Estimated Zimbabwean population | Location(s) |
---|---|
3,000+ | Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester |
2,000+ | Milton Keynes, West Northamptonshire |
1,500+ | Buckinghamshire, Manchester, Coventry, North Northamptonshire, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Nottingham |
1,000+ | Luton, Sandwell, Derby, Southend-on-Sea, Croydon, Southampton, Central Bedfordshire |
Zimbabwean immigrants and their children tend to adapt quickly to British society due to the long ties between the two countries, near identical education systems [15] and high levels of education and English fluency compared to most immigrants to the UK. [16] Studies have pointed to the higher rate of English use among Zimbabweans, their willingness to marry non-Zimbabweans, and their eagerness to become naturalised citizens as factors that contribute to their rapid assimilation, as well as their interactions with the greater British-born community. [8] In addition, Zimbabwe has also been a melting pot of many cultures and languages, making assimilating to a more multicultural Britain easier. A minority of Zimbabweans on the other hand, particularly those who arrived as asylum seekers or with less resources, tended to struggle upon arriving in the UK and would find themselves overrepresented in high demand but less prestigious sectors such as nursing and childcare. [16]
Many Britons tend to confuse Zimbabweans and South Africans, based on their accents and history, despite the rejection that they feel toward the behaviour of many South Africans, regarded by Zimbabweans as less tolerant and cosmopolitan, they have often been lumped together with them and face the same challenges and discrimination that South African immigrants have faced in United Kingdom. [9] Despite this, both communities have adapted well to British society with over 15% of settled Zimbabweans ranked as high earners, more than twice the national average of nearly 7%. [17] [9] As with South African Britons, Zimbabwean Britons tend to live individually rather than in large groups and are thus spread across much of the UK, albeit with a larger concentration in Greater London and South East England.
The South African diaspora consists of South African emigrants and their descendants living outside South Africa. The largest concentrations of South African emigrants are to be found in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. At the time of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 217,180 residents of England and Wales were born in South Africa. In Australia, there were 189,207 South African-born people living in the country at the moment of the 2021 Census. The 2021 American Community Survey identified 123,461 South African-born residents of the country.
The latest (2022) population estimate for the City of Sheffield is 566,242 residents. This represents an increase of about 17,000 people since the last census in 2011.
Ghanaians in the United Kingdom encompass both Ghana-born immigrants and their descendants living in the United Kingdom. Immigration to the UK accelerated following the independence of Ghana from the British Empire in 1957, with most British Ghanaians having migrated to the UK between the 1960s to the 1980s owing to poor economic conditions at home.
The historical immigration to Great Britain concerns the movement of people, cultural and ethnic groups to the British Isles before Irish independence in 1922. Immigration after Irish independence is dealt with by the article Immigration to the United Kingdom since Irish independence.
British Nigerians have formed long-established communities in London, Liverpool and other industrial cities. Many Nigerians and their British-born descendants in Britain live in South London, and they are one of the larger immigrant groups in the country.
Germans in the United Kingdom form one of the largest minority groups in the country. Today, there are many Germans living in the United Kingdom, and many Britons or German British have German ancestry, including the British royal family. While those born in Germany constitute one of the UK's largest foreign-born groups, many are British nationals, rather than German nationals, who were born in Germany to British military personnel based there.
French migration to the United Kingdom is a phenomenon that has occurred at various points in history. The Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 resulted in the arrival of Normans, while in the 16th and 17th centuries Protestant Huguenots fled religious persecution to East London. Other waves are associated with monasticism, particularly post-conquest Benedictines and Cistercians, aristocracy fleeing the French Revolution, expulsion of religious orders by Third Republic France, and current expats.
Spaniards in the United Kingdom are people of Spanish descent resident in Britain. They may be British citizens or non-citizen immigrants.
Koreans in the United Kingdom include Korean-born migrants to the United Kingdom and their British-born descendants tracing ancestries from North Korea and South Korea.
Kenyan migration to the United Kingdom has been occurring for many decades. As a result, many people in the UK were born in Kenya, or have Kenyan ancestry. Many Kenyan people who migrated to the UK are of South Asian extraction.
Colombians in the United Kingdom or Colombian Britons include British citizens or residents who are of Colombian ancestry. According to the 2011 UK Census, the Colombian-born population of England was 25,016, Wales 166, Scotland 507 and Northern Ireland 72.
Romanians in the United Kingdom refers to Romanian immigrants in the United Kingdom, both citizens and non-citizens, along with British citizens of Romanian ancestry. The number of Romanian-born people resident in the UK has risen from 83,168 at the time of the 2011 United Kingdom census to 538,840 in England and Wales alone in 2021.
The Zimbabwean diaspora refers to the diaspora of immigrants from the nation of Zimbabwe and their descendants who now reside in other countries. The number of Zimbabweans living outside Zimbabwe varies significantly from 4 to 7 million people, though it is generally accepted at over 5 million people, some 30 per cent of all Zimbabweans. Varying degrees of assimilation and a high degree of interethnic marriages in the Zimbabwean diaspora communities makes determining exact figures difficult. The diaspora population is extremely diverse and consists of Shona people, Ndebele, white Zimbabweans, mixed-race people, Asians, Jewish people and other minority groups. The diaspora traces their origin to several waves of emigration, starting with the exodus that followed the 1965, unilateral declaration of independence in Rhodesia, but significantly since the sociopolitical crisis that began in 2000.
British Afghans are British citizens and non-citizen residents born in or with ancestors from, Afghanistan, part of worldwide Afghan diaspora. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that there were 79,000 people born in Afghanistan living in the UK in 2019.
Ethiopians in the United Kingdom are a national group that consist of Ethiopian immigrants to the United Kingdom as well as their descendants.
Algerians in the United Kingdom are residents of the UK with ancestry from Algeria. They include Algerian-born immigrants and their British-born descendants.
Lithuanians in the United Kingdom include individuals born in Lithuania who have migrated to the UK, among them Lithuanian citizens of Russian descent and Polish Lithuanian citizens, as well as their British-born descendants. The 2011 UK Census recorded 95,730 Lithuanian-born residents in England, 1,353 in Wales, 4,287 in Scotland, and 7,341 in Northern Ireland. The previous, 2001 UK Census, had recorded 4,363 Lithuanian-born residents. The Office for National Statistics estimates that 144,000 Lithuanian-born immigrants were resident in the UK in 2013.
Ivoirians in the United Kingdom or Ivorian British are one of the country's smallest African immigrant groups, consisting of no more than 10,000 individuals. The group includes people born in Côte d'Ivoire who have migrated to the United Kingdom, as well as their British-born descendants.
Sudanese in the United Kingdom including Sudanese-born immigrants to the UK and their British-born descendants are an extremely diverse national group, especially in terms of political and religious views. It is thought that the UK is home to the oldest Sudanese diaspora in the Western World, as well as one of the largest. Sudanese migrants to the UK have traditionally included professionals, business people and academics, and more recently have included asylum seekers fleeing Sudan's second civil war. Sudanese people live in many of the UK's largest cities and towns.
Zimbabwean Canadians are Canadian citizens of Zimbabwean descent or a Zimbabwe-born person who resides in Canada. According to the Canada 2016 Census there were 16,225 Canadian citizens who claimed Zimbabwean ancestry and 15,000 Zimbabwean citizens residing in the country at the moment of the census.