Total population | |
---|---|
Sudanese-born residents 10,671 (2001 UK Census) 18,381 (2011 Censuses for England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland combined) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Greater London, Brighton, West Midlands | |
Languages | |
Sudanese Arabic, British English | |
Religion | |
Predominantly: Islam (Sunni) Minority: Christianity (Coptic) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
British Egyptians, Sudanese Australians, Sudanese Americans, British Eritreans, British Ethiopians, British Somalis |
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Sudanese in the United Kingdom (also British Sudanese) [1] 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. [2] 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. [2]
Granted | Refused | |
1989 | 45 | 5 |
1990 | 15 | 5 |
1991 | 15 | 10 |
1992 | 265 | 125 |
1993 | 1,400 | 75 |
1994 | 50 | 145 |
1995 | 15 | 60 |
1996 | 65 | 95 |
1997 | 75 | 205 |
1998 | 55 | 65 |
1999 | 45 | 50 |
2000 | 180 | 395 |
2001 | 175 | 595 |
2002 | 110 | 455 |
2003 | 155 | 595 |
2004 | 160 | 1,305 |
2005 | 90 | 900 |
2006 | 70 | 510 |
2007 | 80 | 305 |
The Sudanese community in the UK is most likely the oldest in the developed world. Despite two civil wars and the war in Darfur, which decimated the Sudanese population by several million, [4] the earliest immigrants from Sudan to the UK were not asylum seekers, but mostly professionals, business people and academics. [2] This migration trend lasted until the late 1980s when the Sudanese government was ousted by a military coup led by Omar al-Bashir, who soon claimed presidency over Sudan. [4]
The nature of Sudanese migration to the UK changed dramatically and has continued through to the 21st century, when several violent struggles between the Janjaweed militia and numerous rebel groups displaced millions of people, and despite an improving economy in Sudan there remains considerable civil and political unrest in the North African nation. [4] Thousands of these displaced persons ultimately fled to the UK, amongst other countries, and claimed asylum. [2]
Asylum applications from Sudan peaked in 1993 and again in 2004. The majority of applications in the early 1990s were accepted, with applicants either granted asylum or exceptional leave to remain, but since 1994, the majority of applications have been refused (see table). [3]
This section needs to be updated.(October 2024) |
According to the 2001 UK Census, a total of 10,671 people born in Sudan were living in the UK. [5] This figure is the fifteenth highest migrant population in the UK of all African nations and fifth out of all Arab nations. [5] The only OECD state with more Sudanese-born residents is the United States. [5] A 2006 estimate by the International Organization for Migration suggests that between 10,000 and 25,000 Sudanese are living in London, and anywhere between 3,000 and 18,000 in Brighton. Some 4,000 to 5,000 Sudanese reside in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region, and the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are home to just over 1,000 Sudanese people each. There are also significant numbers of Sudanese dispersed across the UK in cities and towns including Dundee, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Leeds, Portsmouth, Newport, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne, Stoke on Trent, Leicester, Sheffield, Derby, Southampton and Nottingham. [2]
According to the 2011 UK Census, a total of 18,381 people born in Sudan were living in the UK: 16,578 in England, 889 in Wales, [6] 749 in Scotland [7] and 165 in Northern Ireland. [8]
The National Association of British Arabs (NABA) categorises Sudan-born immigrants as Arabs. Based on the 2011 census data, NABA indicates that they are the eighth largest population of British Arabs by country of birth. [9]
Numerous community groups and organisations have been established across the UK that cater for the country's Sudanese community, from political organisations and trade unions to refugee organisations and other social and community groups. [2] Some groups conform to and are generally based around Sudanese political parties and professional bodies such as the Umma Party and the Sudanese Doctors' Union. [2] The Sudan Human Rights Organisation and the Sudan Organisation Against Torture are two national non-political organisations that have been set up by Sudanese in exile in the UK, and there are also refugee groups that have been set up across the UK to help new immigrants and asylum seekers to adapt to the British lifestyle and help with any other problems and issues. [2] Besides these bodies and entities, there are a number of less informal social and culture groups that have been set up by Sudanese in the UK (examples of these are the Sudanese Family in Oxfordshire, [10] Leeds Sudanese Community Association, [11] and the Sudanese Coptic Association). [12] Sudanese nationals in the UK are represented by the Embassy of Sudan on Cleveland Row, London, England. [13]
Sudanese Australians are people of Sudanese origin or descent living in Australia. The largest population of Sudanese Australians reside in Victoria (6,085).
Sudanese literature consists of both oral as well as written works of fiction and nonfiction that were created during the cultural history of today's Republic of the Sudan. This includes the territory of what was once Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the independent country's history since 1956 as well as its changing geographical scope in the 21st century.
Somalis in the United Kingdom include British citizens and residents born in or with ancestors from Somalia. The United Kingdom (UK) is home to the largest Somali community in Europe, with an estimated 108,000 Somali-born immigrants residing in the UK in 2018 according to the Office for National Statistics. The majority of these live in England, with the largest number found in London. Smaller Somali communities exist in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Cardiff.
Filipinos in the United Kingdom are British citizens or immigrants who are of Filipino ancestry.
Latin American migration to the United Kingdom dates back to the early 19th century. Before the 1970s, when political and civil unrest became rife in many Latin American countries, the United Kingdom's Latin American community was not particularly large. Economic migration to the United Kingdom has since increased, with Brazilian and Colombian-born residents now representing the two largest Latin American groups, standing at an estimated 95,000 and 36,000 respectively as of 2019. A number of refugees and asylum seekers moved to the UK during the late 20th century. However, since the turn of the century, Latin Americans have been migrating to the UK for a wide range of reasons. At present, the community consists of people from all walks of life. The UK is also home to British-born people of Latin American ancestry. During the 2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis, Britain also became one of the favourite European destinations for some of the roughly 1.4 million Latin Americans who had acquired Spanish citizenship.
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.
British Iraqis are British citizens who originate from Iraq.
British Arabs are British citizens of Arab descent. They share a common Arab ethnicity, culture, language and identity from different Arab countries. Arabs also come from non-Arab countries as ethnic minorities.
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.
Iranians in the United Kingdom or British Iranians 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.
Peruvians in the United Kingdom or Peruvian Britons are Peruvian immigrants to the United Kingdom, who form part of the larger Latin American community in the UK. In 2001, the number of Peruvian-born immigrants was the sixth largest amongst all Latin American immigrants to the UK.
British Moroccans are citizens and/or residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic origins lie fully or partially in Morocco.
Yemenis in the United Kingdom or Yemeni Britons include citizens and non-citizen immigrants in the United Kingdom of Yemeni ancestry, as well as their descendants. Yemenis have been present in the UK since at least the 1860s, with the first Yemenis arriving as sailors and dock workers in the port cities of Northern England and Wales, and despite a smaller population than other British Muslim groups, are likely the longest-established Muslim group in the United Kingdom, with many of these cities retaining a Yemeni population going back several generations.
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.
Tanzanians in the United Kingdom are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic or national origins lie fully or partially in Tanzania. The Tanzanian community in the UK is the largest of any OECD nation and is ethnically diverse, consisting of indigenous Black Africans alongside thousands of East African Asians who fled from violence during the Zanzibar Revolution.
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.
Algerians in the United Kingdom are residents of the UK with ancestry from Algeria. They include Algerian-born immigrants and their British-born descendants.
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.