Iranians in the United Kingdom

British people of Iranian descent
ایرانیان بریتانیا

ایرانیان بریتانیا
Total population
Iranian-born residents in the United Kingdom: 114,432 (2021/22 census) [note 1] England: 106,801 (2021) [1] Scotland: 4,803 (2022) [2] Wales: 2,367 (2021) [1] Northern Ireland: 461 (2021) [3] Previous estimates: 42,494 (2001 census) 84,735 (2011 census) 70,000 (2017 ONS estimate)
Regions with significant populations
London, [4] Manchester, Liverpool
Languages
British English, Persian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish
Religion
Shia Islam, Non-religion, Christianity, Judaism, Baháʼí, Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Other. Does not include ethnic Iranians born in the United Kingdom or those with Iranian ancestry
Related ethnic groups
Iranian diaspora (Iranians in the UAE • Ajam of Bahrain • Ajam of Qatar • Ajam of Iraq • Ajam of Kuwait • Iranians in Canada • Iranians in the US • Iranians in the UK • Iranians in Germany • Iranians in Israel • Iranians in Turkey) Iranian peoples (Lurs, Achomis, Baluchs, Kurds, Iranian Azeris), Turkic peoples (Qashqai, Azerbaijanis), Huwala

Iranians in the United Kingdom consist of people of Iranian nationality who have settled in the United Kingdom, as well as British residents and citizens of Iranian heritage. Iranians in the United Kingdom are referred to by hyphenated terms such as British-Iranians, British-Persians, Iranian-Britons, or Persian-Britons. ^[5]

As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the British-Iranian population was approximately 114,432 people. The vast majority of British-Iranians arrived after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, with an estimated 8,000 Iranian asylum seekers arriving in the United Kingdom in the following five years. Due to intensifying religious and political persecution, particularly of Iranian Christians, the numbers of Iranian asylum seekers arriving at UK soil has significantly risen in the last decade. ^{[6] [7]}

History

The first known Iranian immigrant to UK who became a British citizen was Assadour Karabegof (Persian : آسادور قرابگوف), who was naturalised on 20 February 1862. ^[8] Also, there was another Iranian called Arsen Oskian Arsenian (Persian : آرسن اوسکیان آرسنیان) who was naturalised on 30 May 1868. ^[9]

The vast majority of Iranians in the UK arrived after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. In the following five years, an estimated 8,000 Iranian asylum seekers arrived in the country. The 1981 census showed 28,617 persons born in Iran (18,132 men, 10,485 women). Iranians were not separately distinguished in the 1991 census. ^[10] The 2001 census recorded 42,494 persons born in Iran. ^[11] In the 2011 census, 79,985 Iranian-born people were recorded in England, 1,695 in Wales, ^[12] 2,773 in Scotland ^[13] and 282 in Northern Ireland. ^[14] The Office for National Statistics estimates that, in 2017, 70,000 Iranian-born people were living in the UK. ^[15] In 2004, the Iranian embassy in London estimated that as many as 75,000 Iranians might reside in the country. ^[10] Most adults are themselves immigrants; the second generation are quite young, and so there are relatively few adults of Iranian background born and raised in the UK. ^[16]

In the six-year period between 2018 and 2023, 21,565 Iranian nationals entered the United Kingdom by crossing the English Channel using small boats – the most common nationality of all small boat arrivals. ^{[17] [18]}

Religion

Iran is a primarily Shia Muslim country with Jewish, Baháʼí, Christian and Zoroastrian communities, a fact reflected in the migrant population in the UK. ^{[19] [20]} However, there is an increasing number of Iranian atheists and agnostics. Some Iranians in the UK have converted from Shi'ism to various sects of Christianity. ^[21] There are also active Jewish and Christian communities among British Iranians. ^{[22] [23]}

Religion of Iranian Born - England and Wales ^[24]

Religion	Census 2021
	Number	%
Islam	36503	33.6%
No Religion	33935	31.2%
Christianity	21427	19.7%
Other Religions	3099	2.85%
Judaism	569	0.52%
Buddhism	91	0.1%
Sikhism	74	0.1%
Hinduism	51	0.0%
Not Stated	13419	12.4%
Total	108648	100%

See also

• Iran portal
• United Kingdom portal

• List of British Iranians
• Iranian diaspora
• Iran–United Kingdom relations

References

Notes

1. "Country of birth (extended)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
2. "Table UV204 - Country of birth: Country by Country of Birth by Individuals". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 24 May 2024. '2022' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Country of birth: UV204'
3. "MS-A18: Country of birth - full detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
4. "Born abroad: Iran", BBC News, 7 September 2005, retrieved 29 June 2019
5. Harbottle 2004
6. Rouch, Abigail Frymann (2024-02-23). "Christian converts under pressure to leave Iran". Church Times . Retrieved 2024-09-20.
7. Bandow, Doug (2024-05-11). "Iran Tries to Stem Religious Conversions from Islam". Cato Institute . Retrieved 2024-09-20.
8. Assadour Karabegof The National Archives
9. "Arsen Oskian Arsenian". The National Archives. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
10. Spellman 2004 , p. 38
11. Country-of-birth database, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, archived from the original on 2005-05-11, retrieved 2009-01-25
12. "2011 Census: Country of birth (expanded), regions in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
13. "Country of birth (detailed)" (PDF). National Records of Scotland . Retrieved 24 June 2018.
14. "Country of Birth – Full Detail: QS206NI". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency . Retrieved 24 June 2018.
15. "Table 1.3: Overseas-born population in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by sex, by country of birth, January 2017 to December 2017". Office for National Statistics. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018. Figure given is the central estimate. See the source for 95% confidence intervals .
16. Harbottle 2004 , p. 145
17. "Official Statistics: Irregular migration to the UK, year ending December 2022". gov.uk. Home Office. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
18. "Statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Act: data tables to December 2023". gov.uk. Home Office. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
19. Spellman 2004 , p. 59
20. Religion in Iran
21. Spellman 2004 , p. 147
22. "Persian community join the US" . Retrieved 18 March 2015.
23. Spellman 2004 , p. 103
24. "Country of birth (extended) by religion - Office for National Statistics".

Sources

• Harbottle, Lynn (2004), Food For Health, Food For Wealth: Ethnic and Gender Identities in British Iranian Communities, The Anthropology of Food and Nutrition, Oxford: Berghahn Books, ISBN   978-1-57181-634-4
• Spellman, Kathryn (2004), Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in Britain, Forced Migration, Oxford: Berghahn Books, ISBN   978-1-57181-576-7

Further reading

• Baghaei-Yazdi, Namdar (2002). "Great Britain xii. The Persian Community in Britain (2)". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica . Vol. XI/3: Great Britain IV–Greece VIII. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 275–276. ISBN   978-0-933273-64-1.
• Gharibi, Khadij; Mirvahedi, Seyed Hadi (2021). "'You are Iranian even if you were born on the moon': family language policies of the Iranian diaspora in the UK". Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 45 (4): 1017–1032. doi:10.1080/01434632.2021.1935974. hdl: 10037/21819 . S2CID   236221735.
• Spellman, Kathryn (2002). "Great Britain xii. The Persian Community in Britain (1)". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica . Vol. XI/3: Great Britain IV–Greece VIII. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 273–275. ISBN   978-0-933273-64-1.
• Spellman, Kathryn (2004), "Gendered spaces of exchange: Iranian Muslim religious practices in London", in Titley, Gavan (ed.), Resituating culture, Council of Europe. Directorate of Youth and Sport, pp. 151–161, ISBN   978-92-871-5396-8

External links

• The Flight from Tehran: British-Iranians 30 Years On, a series of radio programmes from the BBC
• Iranian Association, Iranian Association was established as a registered charity in 1985 providing information and advice. It is also involved with art and culture, working with the British and Victoria & Albert museums to improve Iranian participation in London's cultural life.
• Iran Heritage Foundation, A non-political charity promoting the history and culture of Iran. It organises everything from lectures and talks to poetry recitals.