Central Asians in the United Kingdom

Last updated

Central Asians in the United Kingdom
Total population
Ethnic Central Asians:
3,661 (England and Wales only, 2021) [1]
Other estimates: At least 10,667
Kazakh (5,432), Uzbek (2,864), Kyrgyz (1,132), Turkmen (784), Tajik (455), Other Central Asians (Unknown)
All figures are the 2015 UN population estimates for the United Kingdom [2]
Regions with significant populations
London [3]
Languages
West/Central Asian language (all other) – 9,869
(including Kazakh language, Kyrgyz language, Tajik language, Turkmen language, and Uzbek language)
Number of speakers in England & Wales as a main language, of all usual residents aged 3 and over, from the 2021 census. [4]
Religion
Islam, Non-religious, others

Central Asians in the United Kingdom are Central Asians living in the United Kingdom. They have been present in the country since the 21st century[ citation needed ] and primarily originate from the countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Contents

Population history

The UK Government considers the Central Asian sovereign states to be Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. [5] According to United Nations population estimates conducted in 2015, there are over 10,000 Central Asian people residing in the United Kingdom. [2] In 2001, Nooralhaq Nasimi founded the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) in London, which seeks to specifically help Afghan, as well as Central Asian refugees settle in the UK. [3]

2021 Census

The figures below represent data collected for the 2021 United Kingdom census with the country as a reported birthplace recorded (i.e. does not include British born people of Central Asian origin). The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022. [6]

State/TerritoryFlag of England.svg  England
(2021) [7]
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
(2022) [8]
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
(2021) [7]
Northern Ireland
(2021) [9]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
(2021/22)
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 5,6041,06712872
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 3,7894721
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan 1,364370
Other Central Asia 1,55722
Total12,3141,0672349313,708

Subgroups

Kazakhs

The UN has estimated that there are 5,432 Kazakhs living in the United Kingdom, as of 2015. [2] In 2009, it was reported that Kazakh entrepreneurs were achieving high positions in British industry. [10] Kazakh politician Dariga Nazarbayeva is a part-time resident in London. [11] [12] In 2011, Kazakh businessman Mukhtar Ablyazov was granted asylum in the UK, along with his wife and children. [13] In 2018, a Kazakh TV-feature reported how ethnic Kazakhs in the UK preserved their culture and language while living as part of the diaspora. [14]

Kazakhs have studied at British schools and universities since at least 2006. [15] In the 2006/2007 school year, private school Haileybury and Imperial Service College had 14 Kazakh students. [16] In 2020, it was reported that the UK was the most popular destination of Kazakhstan's Bolashak Programme, allowing the majority of its students to reside and study in Britain. [17]

Kyrgyz

Between 1997 and 2002, Kyrgyz diplomat Roza Otunbayeva resided in London, England, serving as the Central Asian nation's ambassador to the UK. [18] In 2007, the Israeli Government helped support an appeal against the deportation of Kyrgyz nationals from the United Kingdom. The refugees, who were orphaned twin sisters and resided in Birmingham, England, were claiming asylum in the country. [19] Kyrgyz former politician Maxim Bakiyev is a resident in the United Kingdom. [20] [21] In 2015, the UN estimated there were 1,132 Kyrgyz residents in the UK. [2]

Tajiks

In 2013, Tajik child care workers gained temporary residency in the UK, travelling to Falkirk, Scotland for professional training in their field. The sharing of modern child care techniques was administered by Falkirk Council and funded by an EU-backed scheme. [22] By 2015, the UN had estimated a total population of 455 Tajiks in the country. [2]

Turkmens

In 2015, the UN estimated that there were 784 Turkmens residing in the United Kingdom. [2]

Uzbeks

The second largest national subgroup of Central Asians after Kazakhs, the United Nations estimated a total population of 2,864 Uzbeks living in the United Kingdom in 2015. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Asia</span> Subregion in Asia

Central Asia is a subregion of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the southwest and Eastern Europe in the northwest to Western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian suffix "-stan" in both respective native languages and most other languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan</span> Central Asian nation

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city of the country. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east and southeast. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's 7 million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic Cooperation Organization</span> Asian political and economic intergovernmental organization

The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities. The ECO is an ad hoc organisation under the United Nations Charter. The objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the ECO expanded to include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soviet Central Asia</span> Section of Central Asia formerly controlled by the Soviet Union

Soviet Central Asia was the part of Central Asia administered by the Soviet Union between 1918 and 1991, when the Central Asian republics declared independence. It is nearly synonymous with Russian Turkestan in the Russian Empire. Soviet Central Asia went through many territorial divisions before the current borders were created in the 1920s and 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyuli</span> Branch of Ghorbati people

The Lyuli, Jughi or Jugi are a branch of the Ghorbati people living in Central Asia, primarily Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and southern Kyrgyzstan; also, related groups can be found in Turkey, and the Balkans, Crimea, Southern Russia and Afghanistan. They speak ethnolects of the Persian and Turkic language and practice Sunni Islam. The terms Lyuli and Jugi are considered pejorative. They have a clan organization. Division into sub-clans is also practiced. The Lyuli community is extremely closed towards non-Lyuli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Asian Union</span> Intergovernmental organisation for economic integration

The Central Asian Union (CAU), later called the Central Asian Economic Union, was an intergovernmental organization for economic integration between the Central Asian post-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan between 1994 and 2004. Tajikistan joined the Union in 1996 as an observer. Several proposals to restore the Union have been put forward since its dissolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Kyrgyz Revolution</span> Revolution that overthrew President Kurmanbek Bakiyev

The 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution, also known as the Second Kyrgyz Revolution, the Melon Revolution, the April Events or officially as the People's April Revolution, began in April 2010 with the ousting of Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the capital Bishkek. It was followed by increased ethnic tension involving Kyrgyz people and Uzbeks in the south of the country, which escalated in June 2010. The violence ultimately led to the consolidation of a new parliamentary system in Kyrgyzstan.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border</span> International border

The Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border is the border between the countries of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. At 1,793 km, it is Turkmenistan's longest border and Uzbekistan's second longest. The border runs from the tripoint with Kazakhstan to the tripoint with Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border</span> International border

The Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border is 2,330 km (1,450 mi) long and runs from the tripoint with Turkmenistan to the tripoint with Kyrgyzstan. It is Uzbekistan's longest external boundary. The Uzbek capital Tashkent is situated just 13 km (8.1 mi) from this border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border</span> International border

The Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border is 1,212 kilometres (753 mi) and runs from the tripoint with Uzbekistan to the tripoint with China. Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, is situated just 16 km to the south of this boundary, and Almaty is situated just 29 kilometres (18 mi) to the north of it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tajikistan–Uzbekistan border</span> International border

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan border</span> International border

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border</span> International border

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Central Asians in the United States are Americans with ancestry from Central Asia. They include Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek individuals. People of Afghan, Baloch, and Uyghur descent are also sometimes classified as Central Asians. The United States census does not mention Central Asians under any category.

References

  1. "TS:002 Ethnic group (detailed)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin (United Nations database, POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev.2015)" (XLS). United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 "'Idiots tell me to leave' – What life is like as an Afghan refugee in London". Reach plc. 17 December 2018.
  4. "TS024 - Main language (detailed)". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  5. David Lidington (23 February 2012). "UK engagement with Central Asia". UK Government. The Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – were in many respects dealt a difficult hand at independence.
  6. McNeill, Kirsty (18 March 2021). "March 21st is Census day - but Scotland will have to wait". Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Country of birth (extended)". www.ons.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  8. "Table UV204 - Country of birth: Country by Country of Birth by Individuals". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 24 May 2024. > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Country of birth: UV204'
  9. "MS-A18: Country of birth - full detail". nisra.gov.uk. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  10. Simon Bowers; Tim Webb (8 April 2020). "Kazakhs join British super-rich". The Guardian . Young Kazakhs are among former eastern bloc businessmen at top of British industry
  11. "Kazakh family win Unexplained Wealth Order battle over London homes". BBC. 8 April 2020.
  12. David Dawkins (11 March 2020). "U.K. Takes Fight To Kazakhstan's Wealthy Elite Over Unexplained 'Billionaires' Row' Mansion". Forbes .
  13. Richard Orange (12 July 2011). "Kazakh billionaire granted UK asylum". The Daily Telegraph .
  14. "Kazakh Diaspora in UK". Khabar Agency. 3 April 2018. Ethnic Kazakhs living in the United Kingdom are working towards preserving the national culture. Members of the Kazakh diaspora in UK want to promote their national traditions and pass them down to a younger generation.
  15. Yerlan Askarbekov (28 October 2016). "What Kazakhstan really thought of Borat". BBC. Maybe the most angry Kazakhs in 2006 were our students in the UK and US. They understood the movie, but their non-Kazakh peers on campus did not.
  16. "Top British school in Borat's homeland". Evening Standard . 25 January 2007. Haileybury currently has 14 Kazakh pupils.
  17. "Kazakhs studying in UK forced to reveal passwords". The Times . 3 October 2020.
  18. Annette Bohr (April 2010). "Revolution in Kyrgyzstan – Again" (PDF). Chatham House.
  19. "Kyrgyzstani refugees prefer U.K." Jewish Telegraphic Agency . 13 February 2007.
  20. "Kyrgyz ex-leader Bakiyev's son held in UK for fraud". BBC. 13 October 2012.
  21. Maxton Walker (14 July 2013). "Kyrgyz president attacks UK for 'hosting a guy who robbed us'". The Guardian .
  22. "Falkirk social workers to host Tajikistani counterparts". BBC. 8 November 2012. The European Union-backed scheme will see Tajikistani child care workers visit Falkirk Council to witness modern child care techniques first hand.