British Pakistanis

This article is about British people of Pakistani descent. For other uses, see British Pakistanis (disambiguation).

British Pakistanis
بَرِطانِیہ میں مُقِیم پاکِسْتانِی
Distribution by local authority in the 2011 census.
Total population
United Kingdom United Kingdom: 1,662,286 – 2.5% (2021)
 England: 1,570,285 – 2.8% (2021)[1]
 Scotland: 72,871 – 1.3% (2022)[2]
 Wales: 17,534 – 0.6% (2021)[1]
Northern Ireland: 1,596 – 0.08% (2021)[3]
Regions with significant populations
Languages
English (British and Pakistani) · Urdu · Punjabi[a] · Pashto · Sindhi · Balochi · Brahui · Kashmiri · Khowar · Shina · Balti · others
Religion
Predominantly Islam (92.6%);
minority follows other faiths (1.0%)[b] or are irreligious (1.2%)
2021 census, NI, England and Wales only[4][5]
Related ethnic groups
This article contains Urdu text. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined letters running left to right or other symbols instead of Urdu script.
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British Pakistanis (Urdu: بَرِطانِیہ میں مُقِیم پاکِسْتانِی; also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani British citizens) are Britons or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in the UK who are of Pakistani descent, Pakistani-born people who have migrated to the UK and those of Pakistani origin from overseas who migrated to the UK.

The UK is home to the largest Pakistani community in Europe, with the population of British Pakistanis exceeding 1.6 million based on the 2021 Census. British Pakistanis are the second-largest ethnic minority population in the United Kingdom and also make up the second-largest sub-group of British Asians. In addition, they are one of the largest Overseas Pakistani communities, similar in number to the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE.[6][7]

Due to the historical relations between the two countries, immigration to the UK from the region, which is now Pakistan, began in small numbers in the mid-nineteenth century when parts of what is now Pakistan came under the British India. People from those regions served as soldiers in the British Indian Army and some were deployed to other parts of the British Empire. However, it was following the Second World War and the break-up of the British Empire and the independence of Pakistan that Pakistani immigration to the United Kingdom increased, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. This was made easier as Pakistan was a member of the Commonwealth.[8] Pakistani immigrants helped to solve labour shortages in the British steel, textile and engineering industries. The National Health Service (NHS) recruited doctors from Pakistan in the 1960s.[9]

The British Pakistani population has grown from about 10,000 in 1951 to over 1.6 million in 2021.[10][11] The vast majority of them live in England, with a sizable number in Scotland and smaller numbers in Wales and Northern Ireland. According to the 2021 Census, Pakistanis in England and Wales numbered 1,587,819 or 2.7% of the population.[12][13] In Northern Ireland, the equivalent figure was 1,596, representing less than 0.1% of the population.[3] The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022, the equivalent figure was 72,871, representing 1.3% of the population.[2] The majority of British Pakistanis are Muslim; around 93% of those living in England and Wales at the time of the 2021 Census stated their religion was Islam.[14]

Since their settlement, British Pakistanis have had diverse contributions and influences on British society, politics, culture, economy and sport. Whilst social issues include high relative poverty rates among the community according to the 2001 census,[15] progress has been made in other metrics in recent years, with the 2021 Census showing British Pakistanis as having amongst the highest levels of homeownership in England and Wales.[16][17]

  1. ^ a b "Ethnic group, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - Chart data". Scotland's Census. National Records of Scotland. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024. Alternative URL 'Search data by location' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Ethnic Group'
  3. ^ a b "MS-B01: Ethnic group". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. ^ United Kingdom census (2021). "DT-0036 - Ethnic group by religion". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  5. ^ "RM031 Ethnic group by religion". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Britain's Pakistani community". The Daily Telegraph. 28 November 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  7. ^ Werbner, Pnina (2005). "Pakistani migration and diaspora religious politics in a global age". In Ember, Melvin; Ember, Carol R.; Skoggard, Ian (eds.). Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures around the World. New York: Springer. pp. 475–484. ISBN 0-306-48321-1.
  8. ^ Satter, Raphael G. (13 May 2008). "Pakistan rejoins Commonwealth – World Politics, World". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  9. ^ Butler, Patrick (18 June 2008). "How migrants helped make the NHS". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  10. ^ "2011 Census: Ethnic group, local authorities in the United Kingdom". Office for National Statistics. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference idea.int was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Ethnic group - Census Maps, ONS". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Ethnic group, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Ethnic group by religion - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  15. ^ Guy Palmer; Peter Kenway (29 April 2007). "Poverty rates among ethnic groups in Great Britain". Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  16. ^ "Tenure by ethnic group - Household Reference Persons - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  17. ^ "The impacts of the housing crisis on people of different ethnicities". Trust for London. Retrieved 23 May 2023.


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