British Punjabi
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 700,000 (2006) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mainly England · Smaller communities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi · British English · Urdu and Hindi | |
| Religion | |
| Islam · Sikhism · Hinduism · Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Punjabi diaspora · British Pakistanis · British Indians · British Mirpuris |
British Punjabis are British citizens or residents who are of Punjabi origin. They originate from the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. Punjabis are a major sub-group of the British Pakistani and British Indian communities, representing the largest ethnicity among British Asians.
The UK is home to the largest Punjabi diaspora. Immigration from the Punjab region to the UK began during the colonial era, when Punjab was a province of British India. The earliest Punjabi migrants included domestic labourers, students, officials, or recruits in the British Army. A notable early figure is the Maharaja Duleep Singh who was exiled to Britain in 1853. Some Punjabis arrived in the UK during the 1940s and 1950s, escaping the turbulent period during the partition of India.
The first significant migration of Punjabis occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. Labour shortages in the UK following the Second World War led the British authorities to encourage recruitment from across the Commonwealth. The vast majority of these migrants were men, who after a period of acclimatisation began to settle permanently and invite their friends, wives and children to join them.
In the 1970s, there was widespread migration of Punjabis from East Africa, many of whom had retained their British passports following the independence of Kenya and Uganda. East African Punjabis are known as twice migrants, and came to the UK amidst growing discrimination at home, symbolised by the Expulsion of Asians from Uganda in 1972. Unlike earlier Punjabi migration to the UK, East African Punjabis migrated as families. Many were successful businessmen or professionals with savings and able to adjust quickly to life in Britain.
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Wikipedia