| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Democratic Republic of the Congo-born residents 19,510 Congolese-born (2011 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Greater London | |
| Languages | |
| French, Lingala, British English, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism |
Congolese in the United Kingdom consist of immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) living in the United Kingdom as well as their British-born descendants. The demonym Congolese can also refer to people from the Republic of Congo, of whom there are fewer living in the UK.
In the 2021 census, 29,009 people in England were recorded as being born in the DRC, as well as 430 in Wales, [1] and 52 in Northern Ireland. [2] The census in Scotland was delayed by a year until 2022. [3] In 2011, 18,913 people born in the DRC were recorded as resident in England, 280 in Wales, [4] 298 in Scotland [5] and 19 in Northern Ireland. [6] In the 2001 UK census 8,569 DRC-born people were residing in the UK. [7]
The majority of Congolese in the United Kingdom have come as political refugees. Congolese migration to the UK is a recent phenomenon, starting in the late 1980s. [8] Significant numbers of Congolese have been coming to the UK as refugees since the early 1990s. [9] According to official data, larger Congolese populations are found in Belgium and France. [7]
Some 11,000 Congolese people are estimated to reside in London, with large numbers being found in Hackney, Edmonton, Tottenham, Newham and Barking & Dagenham where a community of 3,000 Congolese individuals reside. [9] In 2006, community leaders suggested that there might be 30,000 to 40,000 Congolese in the UK, though the International Organization for Migration considers these to be unreliable estimates. [8]
Demographic features of the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo include ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The population of the United Kingdom was estimated at 67,596,281 in 2022. It is the 21st most populated country in the world and has a population density of 279 people per square kilometre, with England having significantly greater density than Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Almost a third of the population lives in south east England, which is predominantly urban and suburban, with 8,866,180 people in the capital city, London, whose population density was 5,640 inhabitants per square kilometre (14,600/sq mi) in 2022.
The foreign-born population of the United Kingdom includes immigrants from a wide range of countries who are resident in the United Kingdom. In the period January to December 2016, there were groups from 23 foreign countries that were estimated to consist of at least 100,000 individuals residing in the UK.
White British is an ethnicity classification used for the indigenous White population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population was 49,997,686, 81.5% of Great Britain's total population. For the United Kingdom entirely, due to different reporting measures within Northern Ireland which includes all those who identified as British with those who identified as Irish, an amalgamated total of 52,320,080 including those who identified as White Irish in Great Britain is given making up 82.8% of the population.
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.
British Iraqis are British citizens who originate from Iraq.
South Africans in the United Kingdom include citizens and residents of the United Kingdom with origins in South Africa.
Czechs in the United Kingdom refers to the phenomenon of Czech people migrating to the United Kingdom from the Czech Republic or from the political entities that preceded it, such as Czechoslovakia. There are some people in the UK who were either born in the Czech lands or have Czech ancestry, some of whom descended from Jewish refugees who arrived during World War II.
Kosovo Albanians in the United Kingdom refers to Kosovo Albanians who have settled or are temporarily living in the United Kingdom. The earliest arrivals from Kosovo settled in London in the 1990s, with pockets of arrivals in other cities. The 2011 Census recorded 28,390 Kosovo-born residents in England and 56 in Wales. The censuses of Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded 215 and 44 Kosovo-born residents respectively.
Ugandan migration to the United Kingdom refers to the movement of people from Uganda. Today, a small proportion of people in the United Kingdom were either born in Uganda, or have Ugandan ancestry.
Lebanese people in the United Kingdom include people originating from Lebanon who have migrated to the United Kingdom and their descendants.
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.
Congolese Americans are Americans descended from the peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, which consist of hundreds of ethnic groups.
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.
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.
Eritreans in the United Kingdom or Eritrean Britons are an ethnic group that consist of Eritrean immigrants to the United Kingdom as well as their descendants.
Syrians in the United Kingdom or Syrian Britons are people whose heritage is originated from Syria who were born in or who reside in the United Kingdom.
