Barbadians in the UK
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 21,601 Bajan born (2001 Census) 18,672 (2011 Census) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
Throughout the United Kingdom In particular East Anglia, Greater London, Manchester-Liverpool Urban Area and the Midlands |
|
| Languages | |
| English (British English, Bajan) | |
| Religion | |
| Primarily Protestantism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| British African-Caribbean community, British Indo-Caribbean people, Barbadian Brazilian, Barbadian Canadian, Black British, Black African, Multiracial, Indo-Caribbean, Indo-Guyanese, Barbadian American |
Barbadian British people, or Bajan-Brits, British Barbadians are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic origins lie fully or partially in the Caribbean island of Barbados. The UK is home to the second largest Barbadian-born migrant population out of all the OECD countries, with the 2001 Census recording 21,601 UK residents born on the Caribbean island, compared to the 53,785 Barbadian-born residents of the United States.
Historically migration from Barbados to the UK was fairly simple, since many Barbadians once held overseas British citizenship (see: Barbados and British nationality), but the number of Barbadians migrating to the UK increased after the 1952 McCarran Act put "severe curbs" on Caribbean immigration to the nearby United States. In 1955, the Barbados government established a Sponsored Workers Scheme and appointed an officer in London to help find work for Barbadians in the UK, due to the perception that population pressure was too great in Barbados. Between 1955 and 1966, more than 27,000 Barbadians migrated to the UK. This represented the largest mass migration from the Caribbean island since 45,000 people emigrated to Panama in the 1900s and 1910s, and was part of a wider migration of people from the Caribbean to the UK which saw 550,000 people migrate between 1948 and 1973, with the majority doing so before the passing of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962. They were recruited to fill labour shortages in the UK in sectors such as transport and healthcare. Migration from Barbados to the UK between 1951 and 1971 represented 12 per cent of the population of Barbados.
According to the 2001 UK Census, 21,601 people born in Barbados were living in the United Kingdom, representing around 8 per cent of all Caribbean-born people living in the country. In 2001, Barbados was the second most common birthplace in the Caribbean for UK residents and 47th most common out of all birth countries. By comparison, the 1971 Census recorded 27,055 people born in Barbados.
The number of Barbadian citizenships successfully applying for British citizenship since 1997 is shown in the table below. The number of Barbadians being granted British citizenship per annum has recently begun to decrease, unlike those from Jamaica (from where an increasing number of people are being granted citizenship).
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Wikipedia