Zimbabwean British
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
UK residents born in Zimbabwe 110,000 (2013 ONS estimate) Population of Zimbabwean origin 200,000–500,000 (2006 community leader estimates) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| London · Luton · Leeds · Slough · Milton Keynes · Manchester · Birmingham | |
| Languages | |
| English · Shona · Ndebele | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism · Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Black British · White people in Zimbabwe |
Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom are people who have migrated from Zimbabwe to the UK and their descendants. The Zimbabwean community in the UK is diverse, consisting of individuals of differing racial, ethnic, class, and political groups. There are asylum seekers, refugees, labour migrants, students, undocumented migrants, and others who have gained British citizenship.
The International Organization for Migration has characterised Zimbabwean migration to the UK as divided into three waves. The initial wave of significant Zimbabwean migration consisted of white Zimbabweans who migrated after the country's formal independence from Britain in 1980. The second major wave lasted from 1990 until 1997, caused by the economic hardship that resulted from Zimbabwe's application of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's Structural Adjustment Programme. The third wave began in 1998 and has resulted from political and social unrest in Zimbabwe. Prior to November 2002, Zimbabweans were free to travel to the UK without a visa and this provided a route to 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. The number of Zimbabweans applying for asylum has fallen, and increasing numbers have sought refuge in South Africa instead.
The majority of Zimbabweans in the UK are first-generation immigrants. According to Census figures, in 1971 some 7,905 people born in what is now Zimbabwe were living in the UK. This figure rose to 16,330 in 1981 and to 21,252 in 1991. The 2001 UK Census recorded 49,524 people residing in the UK who had been born in Zimbabwe. The Office for National Statistics estimates that in 2013 there were 110,000 people resident in the UK who had been born in Zimbabwe.
Unofficial estimates of the total Zimbabwean British population, including those born in the UK of Zimbabwean origin, vary significantly. 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, but community organisations and leaders put the population in the range of 200,000 to 500,000.
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