Southeast Asians in the United Kingdom facts for kids
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Malaysian - 49,886 Singaporean - 40,474 All figures except the Filipino and Thai communities are from the 2001 UK Census, with that country as a reported birthplace (i.e. doesn't include British born people of Southeast Asian origin) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| London, Belfast, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh | |
| Languages | |
| Tagalog/Filipino - 70,342 Thai - 27,366 Vietnamese - 15,168 Malay - 12,576 All other Southeast Asian languages - 11,914 Number of speakers in England & Wales as a main language, of all usual residents aged 3 and over, from the 2011 census |
|
| Religion | |
| Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Non-religious, others | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Asians |
Southeast Asians living in the United Kingdom have been present in the country for several centuries, arriving from Southeast Asia, and primarily originating from countries and territories such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Population history
Southeast Asian is not a category used in official statistics in the United Kingdom, but has been considered as a particular ethnic identity, including by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Southeast Asians have been studied academically as a distinct group.
The country had a small population of Filipinos, Singaporeans and Malaysians until the late 20th century. The number started to grow in the 1970s after the passage of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act and its amendment in 1968 which curtailed extensive rights to immigrate to the UK for Commonwealth citizens. This Act had the effect of more immigration from non-Commonwealth countries, such as the Philippines.
The 2001 UK Census recorded 9,924 Burmese-born people residing in the United Kingdom.
In media
In 2008, ABS-CBN reported that acting parts in the British Film Industry were rare for Southeast Asian British people.
Subgroups
- Southeast Asians
- Burmese
- Filipinos
- Indonesians
- Malaysians
- Singaporeans
- Thais
- Vietnamese
