British Pakistanis

British Pakistanis

برطانیہ میں مقیم پاکستانی
Distribution by local authority in the 2011 census.
Total population
United Kingdom: 1,662,268 – 2.5% (2021/22 Census)  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
West Midlands · North West England · Yorkshire and The Humber · Greater London
Languages
English (British and Pakistani) · Urdu · Punjabi · Pahari-Pothwari · Pashto · Saraiki · Sindhi · Hindko · Balochi · Brahui · Kashmiri · Khowar · Shina · Balti · others
Religion
Majority: Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
British Indians British Asians Pakistanis Pakistani diaspora Mirpuri diaspora Punjabi diaspora Sindhi diaspora Pashtun diaspora

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British Pakistanis (Urdu: برطانیہ میں مقیم پاکستانی; also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) 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 1.5 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.^[4][5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7]

The British Pakistani population has grown from about 10,000 in 1951 to over 1.5 million in 2021.^[8][9] 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.^[10][11] 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; ethnicity results for Scotland are expected to be published in early 2024.^[12] 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.^[13]

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,^[14] significant progress has been made in recent years, with the 2021 Census showing British Pakistanis as having amongst the highest levels of homeownership in England and Wales.^[15][16]