East Asians in the United Kingdom

Population history

East Asian Britons are generally viewed as a distinct ethnic group or identity, and have been academically studied as such. The first settlement of Chinese people in the United Kingdom dates from the early 19th century. In particular were port cities such as Liverpool and London; particularly the Limehouse area in East London. Today, most of the British Chinese are people or are descended from people who were themselves overseas Chinese when they entered the United Kingdom. The majority are from former British colonies, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and also other countries such as Vietnam. People from mainland China and Taiwan and their descendants constitute a relatively small proportion of the British Chinese community. Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom are people from Hong Kong resident in the United Kingdom, or British nationals of Hong Kong origin. At the time of the 2001 British census, 96,000 people born in Hong Kong were residing in the UK, while 2009 estimates suggest that 78,000 Hong Kong-born people are resident in the UK.

The first Japanese settled in the 1960s, mainly for business and economic purposes. In recent decades this number has been growing; including immigrants, students, and businessmen. Parts of the United Kingdom, in particular London, have significant Japanese populations; such as Golders Green and East Finchley North London. There are approximately 100,000 British Japanese, mostly settled in London and the surrounding South East.

Large numbers of South Koreans began to settle in the U.K. in the 1980s, mostly near London; the highest concentration can be found in the town of New Malden, where estimates of the South Korean population range from 8,000 to as high as 20,000 people. There are also a few North Koreans; they form the ninth-largest national group of asylum seekers, with a total of 850 applicants, including 245 applications in the first seven months of the year alone, thirteen times the number in all of 2007.

2021 Census

Country of birth

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 East Asian origin). The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022.

Ethnic group

Subgroups

• East Asians
  • Chinese
  • Mongolians
  • Japanese
  • Koreans
  • Hong Kongers

Notable people

• Nat Wei, Baron Wei, writing for The Telegraph in 2012, described himself as the only East Asian person politically involved in Westminster.

Notes

References

References

1. "TS:002 Ethnic group (detailed)". Office for National Statistics.
2. "TS024 - Main language (detailed)". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics.
3. Verkaik, Robert. (13 May 2004). "Judges given new advice on political correctness". The Independent.
4. (2005). "Language matters: the vocabulary of racism in health care". Journal of Health Services Research & Policy.
5. "A guide to comparing 1991 and 2001 Census ethnic group data". Office for National Statistics.
6. (2011-11-02). "Ethnic group". Office for National Statistics.
7. (1979). "[[Hastings International and Comparative Law Review]]". [[University of California]].
8. (2019). "Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe. Widening the European Discourse on Islam". [[University of Warsaw]].
9. Yi, David. (19 July 2008). "Livin' in London".
10. Benedictus, Leo. (21 January 2005). "'This restaurant is a little bit of Korea brought into a very English town': Koreans in New Malden".
11. Marlow, Peter. (2006). "Occupational Health and Safety Factors in the Korean Community". [[Health and Safety Executive]], [[Department for Work and Pensions]].
12. Jang, Yong-hun. (25 July 2008). "英, 한국 국적 탈북자 추방 방침: RFA (U.K. North Korean refugees with South Korean nationality to be expelled: Radio Free Asia)".
13. McNeill, Kirsty. (18 March 2021). "March 21st is Census day - but Scotland will have to wait". Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights.
14. "Country of birth (extended)". Office for National Statistics.
15. "Table UV204 - Country of birth: Country by Country of Birth by Individuals". National Records of Scotland.
16. "MS-A18: Country of birth - full detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
17. "TS022: Ethnic group (detailed)". Office for National Statistics.
18. "Table UV201 - Ethnic group: Country by Ethnic Group by Individuals". National Records of Scotland.
19. "MS-B02 Ethnic group - full detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
20. "Ethnic group (detailed)". National Records of Scotland.
21. Lord Wei. (26 February 2012). "Building bridges with East Asia will benefit the UK and promote trade". [[The Daily Telegraph]].