Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom

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Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom
Total population
UK residents born in Zimbabwe
128,000 (2019 ONS estimate)
Population of Zimbabwean origin
200,000–500,000 (2006 community leader estimates)
Regions with significant populations
Australian British
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Zimbabweans Britons are British people who were born in Zimbabwe or can trace their ancestry to immigrants from Zimbabwe who emigrated to the United Kingdom. While the first natives of the country then known as Southern Rhodesia arrived in Britain in larger numbers from the late-1960s, the majority of immigrants arrived during the 1990s and 2000s. The Zimbabwean community in the UK is extremely diverse, consisting of individuals of differing racial, ethnic, class, and political groups.[1] There are a diverse mix of asylum seekers, professionals, investors, businesspeople, labour migrants, students, graduates, undocumented migrants, and others who have gained British citizenship.[2][1]

History and settlement

The

political asylum. In November 2002, the UK Government introduced the requirement for Zimbabweans to apply for visas in order to travel to the UK, making it more difficult for them to apply for asylum.[1] The number of Zimbabweans applying for asylum has fallen, and increasing numbers have sought refuge in neighbouring South Africa instead.[3]

In contrast, wealthier Zimbabweans tend to have an easier route to the UK, with many having family or ancestral ties to the country, while others are able to arrive as skilled professionals, investors or students, making the community wealthier than arrivals from other countries in Africa and more comparable to

Australian Britons.[4]

Demographics

Beginning as early as 1965, after the Rhodesian

Bristol. Overall Zimbabweans Britons tend to be more present in Southern England and metropolitan regions than the British population as a whole.[5]

While white Zimbabweans were the first to migrate to the UK in large numbers, the majority of Zimbabweans in the UK today are of Shona descent, with significant minorities of Ndebele, European, Asian and mixed-race descent. Additionally, a disproportionate number of Jewish Zimbabweans are represented in the UK compared to similar communities in Australia and South Africa.[6]

Population

The majority of Zimbabweans in the UK are

2001 UK Census recorded 49,524 people residing in the UK who had been born in Zimbabwe.[7] The Office for National Statistics estimates that in 2019 there were 128,000 people resident in the UK who had been born in Zimbabwe.[8]

Unofficial estimates of the total Zimbabwean British population, including those born in the UK of Zimbabwean origin,[failed verification] vary significantly.[1] Numerous newspapers have speculated that the population might be as large as one million, including an estimate of 600,000 by The Observer in 2003,[1] but community organisations and leaders put the population in the range of 200,000 to 500,000.[1]

Spread and distribution

The Zimbabwean population is widely dispersed across the UK, albeit with a greater concentration in

south east England.[9] The largest communities can be found in the UK's larger cities and towns. The table below shows the geographic spread of Zimbabwean people in the UK in 2006, based on estimates by community leaders.[1]

Estimated
Zimbabwean population 		Location(s)
40,000 London
20,000 each Leeds, Luton, Leicester
10,000 each Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Reading, Sheffield, Slough
5,000 each Coventry, Glasgow, Wolverhampton
3,000 each Edinburgh, Liverpool, Southampton
2,000
Peterborough
1,000 each Cardiff, Oxford

The table below shows the population of Zimbabwe-born people by district in England and Wales according to results of the 2021 Census.[10]

Estimated
Zimbabwean population 		Location(s)
3,000+ Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester
2,000+ Milton Keynes, West Northamptonshire
1,500+ Buckinghamshire, Manchester, Coventry, North Northamptonshire, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Nottingham
1,000+ Luton, Sandwell, Derby, Southend-on-Sea, Croydon, Southampton, Central Bedfordshire

Assimilation

Zimbabwean immigrants and their children tend to adapt quickly to British society due to the long ties between the two countries, near identical education systems[11] and high levels of education and English fluency compared to most immigrants to the UK.[12] Studies have pointed to the higher rate of English use among Zimbabweans, their willingness to marry non-Zimbabweans, and their eagerness to become naturalised citizens as factors that contribute to their rapid assimilation, as well as their interactions with the greater British-born community.[4] In addition, Zimbabwe has also been a melting pot of many cultures and languages, making assimilating to a more multicultural Britain easier. A minority of Zimbabweans on the other hand, particularly those who arrived as asylum seekers or with less resources, tended to struggle upon arriving in the UK and would find themselves overrepresented in high demand but less prestigious sectors such as nursing and childcare.[12]

Many Britons tend to confuse Zimbabweans and South Africans, based on their accents and history, despite the rejection that they feel toward the behaviour of many

South African Britons, Zimbabwean Britons tend to live individually rather than in large groups and are thus spread across much of the UK, albeit with a larger concentration in Greater London and South East England
.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Zimbabwe: Mapping Exercise" (PDF). London: International Organization for Migration. December 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  2. S2CID 228855489
    .
  3. doi:10.1111/j.1744-540X.2007.00485.x
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-3-319-89682-3
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 9781845456580
    .
  6. ISBN 978-3-319-89682-3
    .
  7. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Archived from the original
    on 11 May 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  8. ^ "Table 1.3: Overseas-born population in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by sex, by country of birth, January 2019 to December 2019". Office for National Statistics. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020. Figure given is the central estimate. See the source for 95% confidence intervals.
  9. ^ "BBC NEWS | UK | Born Abroad | Zimbabwe".
  10. ^ "Country of birth (detailed) - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Zimbabwe has the highest Cambridge exam entries in Africa, 10th globally". Newzwire. 5 March 2020.
  12. ^
    ISBN 9781920409227
    .
  13. ^ "BBC NEWS | UK | Born Abroad | Economics".
  14. ^ "Heston on South Africa". YouTube. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Bradford City defender Chicksen called up by Zimbabwe".
  16. ^ "Nick Compton". 11 May 2013.
  17. ^ "Coldplay's Quiet Storm". Rolling Stone. 25 August 2005.
  18. ^ Eccleshare, Charlie (17 October 2018). "Meet Arsenal's Reiss Nelson: Mentored by Hector Bellerin, scoring for England u-21s and thriving in Germany". The Telegraph.
  19. ^
    TheGuardian.com
    . 28 May 2008.
  20. ^ "Hearts | Edinburgh News". Archived from the original on 13 September 2016.
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