British Asians

Asian/Asian British population percentage across the United Kingdom in 2011
Total population
United Kingdom: 5,758,104 – 8.6% (2021/22 Census)[a][1][2][3] Indian –1,927,150 – 2.9% (2021/22) Pakistani –1,662,286 – 2.5% (2021/22) Bangladeshi –651,834 – 1.0% (2021/22)[b] Chinese –502,216 – 0.8% (2021/22) Other Asian –1,010,209 – 1.5% (2021/22)
Regions with significant populations
England	5,426,392 – 9.7% (2021)
Scotland	212,022 – 3.9% (2022)
Wales	89,028 – 3.0% (2021)
Northern Ireland	30,667 – 1.6% (2021)
Languages
British English · Asian languages Bengali · Burmese · Cantonese · Gujarati · Hakka · Hindi · Tamil · Haryanvi · Mandarin · Min · Punjabi · Tagalog · Sindhi · Sinhala · Sylheti · Vietnamese · Thai · Urdu
Religion
PredominantlyIslam (46.0%) andHinduism (17.5%); minority followsChristianity (10.5%),Sikhism (7.7%),other faiths (3.9%)[c] or areirreligious (9.1%) 2021 census, NI, England and Wales only[5][6]
Related ethnic groups
Asian people Dutch Asians Asian Americans Asian Canadians Asian Caribbeans Asian Africans Asian Brazilians

British Asians (also referred to asAsian Britons)^[7] are British people ofAsian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with a population of 5.76 million people or 8.6% of the population identifying as Asian or Asian British in the2021 United Kingdom census.^[8][2][3] This represented an increase from a 6.9% share of the UK population in 2011, and a 4.4% share in 2001.

Represented predominantly bySouth Asian ethnic groups, census data regarding birthplace and ethnicity demonstrate around a million Asian British people derive their ancestry betweenEast Asia,Southeast Asia,Central Asia, andWest Asia.^[9] Since the2001 census, British people of general Asian descent have been included in the "Asian/Asian British" grouping ("Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" grouping in Scotland) of theUK census questionnaires.^[10] Categories forBritish Indians,British Pakistanis,British Bangladeshis,British Chinese,British Hongkongers and other Asians have existed under an Asian British heading since the 2011 census.^[11] InBritish English usage, especially in less formal contexts, the term "Asian" usually refers to people who trace their ancestry to theIndian subcontinent orSouth Asia, contrary to other Anglosphere countries such asAustralia,Canada,Latin America, and theUnited States, where the term "Asian" usually refers to people who trace their ancestry toEast andSoutheast Asia.^{[citation needed]}

There is a long history of migration to theUnited Kingdom (and its predecessor states) from acrossAsia. British colonies and protectorates throughout Asia broughtlascars (sailors and militiamen) to port cities in Britain. Immigration of small numbers ofSouth Asians to England began with the arrival of theEast India Company to theIndian subcontinent, and the decline of theMughal Empire, at the end of the 16th century. Between the 17th and mid-19th century, increasingly diverse lascar crews heading for Britain importedEast Asians, such as Japanese and Chinese seamen,Southeast Asians, such asMalays, South Asians such as the Indians (including the people from Pakistan), Bengalis and Ceylonese and post-Suez Canal;West Asians, such as Armenians andYemenis, who settled throughout the United Kingdom.

In particular, Indians also came to Britain for educational or economic reasons during theBritish Raj (with most returning to India after a few months or years)^[12] and in greater numbers as theIndian independence movement led tothe partition of 1947, eventually creating the separate countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The most significant wave of Asian immigration to and settlement in the United Kingdom came following theSecond World War with the resumed control ofHong Kong, thebreakup of theBritish Empire and the independence of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and later Bangladesh, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. An influx of Asian immigrants also took place following theexpulsion or flight ofIndian communities (then holders ofBritish passports) from the newly-independentUganda,Kenya andTanzania in the early 1970s.

Since the 2010s, British Asians have achieved positions of high political office;Sadiq Khan (ofPakistani descent) becameMayor of London in 2016,Rishi Sunak (ofIndian descent) became the first British AsianPrime Minister of the United Kingdom in October 2022 andHumza Yousaf (also of Pakistani descent) becameFirst Minister of Scotland in March 2023.

In Britain, the word "Asian" most frequently refers to people with ancestry from the South Asian'sIndian subcontinent (Pakistanis,Indians,Bangladeshis,Sri Lankans) This usage contrasts to that in theUnited States, where it is used primarily to refer to people ofEast andSoutheast Asian origin.^[13][14]

InBritish English usage, the termAsian usually refers to people who trace their ancestry toSouth Asia, in particular the formerBritish Raj andCeylon (the modern countries ofIndia,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka and theMaldives). TheBritish Sociological Association's guidelines on equality and diversity suggest that "South Asian" is more precise than "Asian" and that the latter should not be used where there is a risk of it conflating South Asians with people from elsewhere in Asia.^[14]

TheOffice for National Statistics uses the term "Asian / Asian British" to categoriseBritish Indians,British Pakistanis,British Bangladeshis,British Chinese people and people of any other Asian ancestry.

Definitions and naming conventions for the category have evolved in the history of UK censuses. The1991 United Kingdom census was the first to include a question on ethnicity (apart from in Northern Ireland, where the question was not asked until 2001). The question had tick-boxes for "Indian", "Pakistani" and "Bangladeshi". There was also a tick box, as well as a general "Any other ethnic group (please describe)" option for those not wishing to identify with any of the pre-set tick boxes. For the2001 census, in England and Wales, "Indian", "Pakistani" and "Bangladeshi" and "Any other Asian background (please write in)" options were grouped under an "Asian or Asian British" heading, with appearing under a separate heading. In Scotland, all of these tick-boxes were grouped together under an "Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" heading, and in Northern Ireland no broad headings were used, just tick-boxes for each of the Asian groups.^[10]

The2011 census questionnaire was more consistent with regard to the grouping of Asian ethnicities, such that Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and any other Asian background options appeared under a broad "Asian/Asian British" ("Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" in Scotland) heading in all parts of the UK. Shown in order, as listed on the 2011 Census form, the five categories of Asian British are:^[11]

• Asian / Asian British: Indian, a reference to theSouth Asian nation ofIndia andBritish Indians.
• Asian / Asian British: Pakistani, a reference to the South Asian nation ofPakistan andBritish Pakistanis.
• Asian / Asian British: Bangladeshi, a reference to the South Asian nation ofBangladesh andBritish Bangladeshis.
• Asian / Asian British: Chinese, a reference to theEast Asian nation ofChina andBritish Chinese people.
• Asian / Asian British: Other Asian, a broad description suitable for specifying self-identified ethnic descent from South Asian nations without an exclusive category (e.g.Sri Lanka andBritish Sri Lankans), the same application for other East Asian nations (e.g.Japan andBritish Japanese) and British people ofCentral Asian andSoutheast Asian heritage.

There are several regional subgroupings of Asian British people, and Asians living in the United Kingdom generally.^[15] As approximately defined concepts, sometimes due to varying geographical regionalisation of theAsian continent, the subgroups are often utilized in broad ethnic or cultural classification.^[16][17] Despite wider use, theOffice for National Statistics (ONS) does not provide geographic distinctions within the census, meaning all people born in Asia (regardless of region), or with Asian ancestry, are provided designation as "Asian / Asian British". The ONS did, however, acknowledge East, South, Southeast and West Asian individuals in its final recommendations report for the2011 United Kingdom census.^[18]

Census results show that Asian Britons with descent from across all of Asia are represented in the UK. For example, births in thePhilippines andThailand inSoutheast Asia, orIran andIraq inWest Asia, are among the highest in the Other Asian subcategory of "Asian / Asian British".^[19] Outside of the census, organisation and bodies have made explicit use of such geographic classifications. These have included theBritish Heart Foundation,^[20] theGreater London Authority,^[21] and theForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office.^[22] In alphabetical order, some of these subgroups are:

• British East Asians,^{[23][24][25][18]} includingBritish Chinese,British Hongkongers,British Japanese,British Koreans andBritish Mongolians
• British South Asians,^{[26][27][28][18]} includingBritish Afghans,British Bangladeshis,British Bhutanese,British Indians,British Nepalese,British Pakistanis andBritish Sri Lankans
• British Southeast Asian,^[23][24][18] includingBritish Burmese,British Filipinos,British Indonesians,British Malaysians,British Singaporeans,British Thais andBritish Vietnamese
• British West Asian,^[29][18] includingBritish Armenians,British Azerbaijanis,British Iranians,British Iraqis,British Israelis,British Kurds,British Lebanese,British Syrians,British Turks andBritish Yemenis

Terms to describe British people with Asian heritage are varied and are subject to gradual change created by study in academia, reporting in journalistic works, coverage in other media forms, as well as concepts of self-identity and personhood. Some of the terms used to describe residents and citizens of the United Kingdom with ancestry from Asia are, in alphabetical order, as follows:

The term Asian Briton has been consistently used to refer to someone who is a British citizen or resident with ancestry from across the continent ofAsia.^[30][31] In 2005, social science researcherPraful Bidwai used Asian Briton as an example of a "mixed" identity.^[32] In 2011, multiple scholars, such asTimothy Garton Ash andSonja Licht, used the term as an example of a hyphenated or dual identity withinEurope.^[33]

Use of "Asian Briton" has appeared as both an illustrative term in media and for purposes of self-identity. For example, in 2005, politicianShailesh Vara was described as anUgandan Asian Briton.^[34] Television presenterSonia Deol and journalistYasmin Alibhai-Brown have identified themselves as Asian Britons.^[35][36] In 1999, Alibhai-Brown published anInstitute for Public Policy Research report,^[37] advising variousdepartments of the Government of the United Kingdom to use the term Asian Briton.^[38] Research projectMinorities at Risk described this as an effort "to link ethnic groups to their heritage, and to make greater recognition of the sacrifices made by members of ethnic groups duringWorld War II".^[39]

British Asian is a widely used term to describe British persons of Asian descent with either citizenship or residency in the UK. Although not following the UK's census formatting, there are numerous examples of the term gaining cultural traction in the country.

Founded byCharles, Prince of Wales in 2007, theBritish Asian Trust follows the naming convention resultant from the popularity of the term, and projects an association to the category of British Asian people. After the appointment ofKaty Perry as an ambassador of the Trust in 2020,The Guardian questioned the merit of whether the American singer was a person "who inhabits the values of the British Asian community", reporting that Perry was "neither British nor Asian".^[40]

The term has also received some criticism.BBC Asian Network commissioned an opinion poll that found that the majority of Asians in the UK disliked the term due to its inferred generalisation.^[35] Academic Roxy harris has critiqued the term of "British Asian" as essentialising and hierarchising the values, or order of priority, of "British" and "Asian". The portmanteauBrasian has also been proposed as an alternative form of the term.^[41] In the course of the 2010s, usage of British Asian broadened in British media usage and in self-identification by British citizens or residents, to increasingly also include British people of heritage other thanSouth Asia, such asEast Asia^{[42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]} andWest Asia.^[51][52][53] In the2011 census, the two categories Chinese and Other Asian were listed explicitly under the broad heading and within the grouping of "Asian/Asian British".^[11]

British Asian population by region and country

Region /Country	2021[55]		2011[59]		2001[63]		1991[α][67]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
England	5,426,392	9.61%	4,143,403	7.82%	2,248,289	4.58%	1,762,262	3.75%
—Greater London	1,817,640	20.66%	1,511,546	18.49%	866,693	12.08%	690,031	10.33%
—West Midlands	794,264	13.35%	604,435	10.79%	385,573	7.32%	297,829	5.78%
—South East	650,545	7.01%	452,042	5.24%	186,615	2.33%	149,198	1.99%
—North West	622,685	8.39%	437,485	6.20%	229,875	3.42%	174,878	2.60%
—Yorkshire and the Humber	487,055	8.89%	385,964	7.30%	222,486	4.48%	159,355	3.29%
—East of England	405,869	6.41%	278,372	4.76%	121,752	2.26%	99,720	1.97%
—East Midlands	391,103	8.01%	293,423	6.47%	168,913	4.05%	135,257	3.42%
—South West	159,184	2.79%	105,537	2.00%	32,800	0.67%	28,368	0.62%
—North East	98,046	3.70%	74,599	2.87%	33,582	1.34%	27,626	1.09%
Scotland	212,022[β]	3.90%	140,678	2.66%	71,317	1.41%	47,456	0.95%
Wales	89,028	2.86%	70,128	2.29%	25,448	0.88%	24,399	0.86%
Northern Ireland	30,667	1.61%	19,130	1.06%	6,824	0.40%	—	—
United Kingdom	5,758,109	8.60%	4,373,661	6.92%	2,578,826	4.39%	1,834,117[γ]	3.34%

According to the2021 United Kingdom census, those identifying as Asian British in England and Wales enumerated 5,515,420, or 9.3% of the population^[69][70] In Northern Ireland, 30,667, or 1.6% of the population, identified as Asian or British Asian.^[3] The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022, the equivalent figure was 212,022, representing 3.9% of the population.^[2] The ten local authorities with the largest proportion of people who identified as Asian were:Redbridge (47.33%),Slough (46.75%),Harrow(45.23%),Tower Hamlets(44.43%),Leicester (43.40%),Newham(42.21%),Luton(36.99%),Hounslow(36.73%),Blackburn with Darwen (35.66%) andHillingdon (33.32%). In Scotland, the highest proportion was inGlasgow at 11.08%; in Wales, the highest concentration was inCardiff at 9.66%; and in Northern Ireland, the highest concentration was inBelfast at 3.74%.^[71]

Due to a growing sense of affiliation with Britain, many third generation South Asians chose to not mark "Asian or British Asian" and instead marked "British Asian" in the "Other Asian" write in section.^[72]

The2011 United Kingdom census recorded 1,451,862 residents of Indian, 1,174,983 of Pakistani, 451,529 of Bangladeshi, 433,150 of Chinese, and 861,815 of "Other Asian" ethnicity, making a total Asian British population of 4,373,339 (6.9 per cent of the total population), excluding people of mixed ethnicity.^[4]

The 2011 population represented a 1,794,513 increase on the2001 United Kingdom census figures. All five of the subcategories (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, and Other Asian) rose in their own right, representing both outright population growth, as well as increased demographic share of the UK's total population from 4.4% to 6.9%.

Census category	Population (2001)	Percentage (2001)	Population (2011)	Percentage (2011)
Indian	1,053,411	1.8%	1,451,862	2.3%
Pakistani	747,285	1.3%	1,174,983	1.9%
Bangladeshi	283,063	0.5%	451,529	0.7%
Chinese	247,403	0.4%	433,150	0.7%
Other Asian	247,664	0.4%	861,815	1.4%
Total: Asian British	2,578,826	4.4%	4,373,339	6.9%

In terms of birthplace, the first four categories of "Asian / Asian British" people are vastly represented by births in theUnited Kingdom and the corresponding national-based category (E.g. China and "Asian / Asian British: Chinese"). The following birthplace figures cover the region ofEngland and Wales, which constitute 94.7 percent of the UK's Asian British statistics:^[19]

• For theBritish Indian category, 606,298 (42.9 percent) were born in the United Kingdom, and 579,521 (41 percent) were born inIndia, accounting for 83.9 percent of the group.
• In theBritish Pakistani category, 631,171 (56.1 percent) were born in the UK, and 443,414 (39.4 percent) were born inPakistan, accounting for 95.5 percent of the group.
• For theBritish Bangladeshi category, 232,089 (51.9 percent) were born in the UK, and 202,626 (45.3 percent) were born inBangladesh, accounting for 97.1 percent of the group.
• In theBritish Chinese category, 93,164 (23.7 percent) were born in the UK, and 209,104 (53.2 percent) were born inChina and its special administrative regions, accounting for 76.9 percent of the group. The break down of which was 139,723 in China (35.5 percent), 67,761 inHong Kong (17.2 percent) and 1,620 inMacao (0.4 percent).
• In the Other Asian category, 207,319 (24.8 percent) were born in the UK, and then with significant births in many diverse nations, mainly in Asia. For example, in the 2011 census, countries of birth with significant representation (over 10,000 births) were recorded across different regions ofAsia. In alphabetical order, these included two nations inEast Asia (Japan and South Korea), four inSouth Asia (India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), four inSoutheast Asia (Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam), and two nations inWest Asia (Iran and Iraq).

In 2001, the ONS designated the "Main countries of birth of Other Asian group" (the 10 places of birth with highest recorded figures), which, in descending order of population, were: United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Iran, India, Iraq, Mauritius, Pakistan, Kenya, Nepal and Yemen.^[72] As updated a decade later by theOffice for National Statistics, the2011 United Kingdom census recorded the following population figures for the "Asian / Asian British: Other" group by birthplace:^[19]

"Asian / Asian British: Other" population by birth in England and Wales (2011)^[19]

Region	ONS	Country	Population	Percentage
Northwest Europe	926	United Kingdom	207,319	24.8%
South Asia	144	Sri Lanka	112,511	13.5%
Southeast Asia	608	Philippines	104,075	12.5%
Central Asia	004	Afghanistan	48,776	5.8%
South Asia	524	Nepal	44,243	5.3%
Southeast Asia	764	Thailand	31,135	3.7%
East Asia	392	Japan	28,137	3.4%
West Asia	364	Iran	27,460	3.3%
South Asia	356	India	27,061	3.2%
East Africa	480	Mauritius	17,069	2.0%
Asian British: Other	Not applicable	Not applicable	861,815	1.5%

ONS = Office for National Statistics, coding index.

The unemployment rate among Indian men was only slightly higher than that for White British orWhite Irish men, 7 per cent compared with 5 per cent for the other two groups. On the other hand, Pakistanis have higher unemployment rates of 13–14%, and Bangladeshis have one of the highest rates, around 23%.^[73] Some surveys also revealed the Indian unemployment rate to be 6–7%^[74] Persons of Indian or mixed Indian origin are more likely thanWhite British to have university degrees, whereas Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are less likely.^[75] With the exception of Bangladeshi women, every other group of South Asians, have higher attendance at university than the national average.^[76]GCSE pass rates have been rising for all South Asians.^[77]

In the UK South Asian population has higher rates of unemployment compared to the White-British population, and number of 16 to 64 year old's who were employed, by ethnicity showed Indians overall had the same ratio in employment as White-British at 76%. However those from Pakistani, Bangladeshi backgrounds have far lower rates in employment at 57%. The gap between men and women was biggest in the combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic group, where 75% of men and 39% of women were employed compared to 80% of men and 73% of women amongst White-British.^[78]

As of 2020^[update], citizens of India and the Philippines are the largest foreign-national groups ofNational Health Service workers.^[79]

South Asian ethnic groups mostly originate from a few select places in South Asia, these are known as place of origins. East Asian ethnic groups are particularly represented by theHan Chinese in the United Kingdom.British Indians tend to originate mainly from the two Indian States,Punjab andGujarat.^[80] Evidence from Bradford and Birmingham have shown, Pakistanis originate largely from theMirpur District inAzad Kashmir. The second largest ethnic group ofBritish Pakistanis are the Punjabi people, largely fromAttock District ofPunjab followed byPashtuns and other ethnic groups from the districts ofNowshera,Peshawar andGhazi in province ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa. In theLondon Borough of Waltham Forest there are substantial numbers of Pakistani people originating fromJhelum, Punjab.^[81] Studies have shown 95 per cent ofBritish Bangladeshis originate from theSylhet Division, located in the Northeastern part of Bangladesh.British Chinese people originate primarily from former British colonies, such asHong Kong, but also from areas ofSoutheast Asia, where they were already diasporic populations.^[82][83]

There have been three waves of migration of Hindus in the United Kingdom. The first wave was before India's independence in 1947. In the early 1950s the Conservative Health Minister,Enoch Powell recruited a large number of doctors from theIndian subcontinent. The second wave occurred in the 1970s mainly fromEast Africa. The later communities included those fromGuyana,Trinidad and Tobago,Mauritius andFiji. The last wave of migration began in the 1990s and included Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and professionals including doctors and software engineers from India.

Chinese Britons speak theMandarin,Cantonese,Min, andHakka languages. The language spoken by Indians arePunjabi,Gujarati,Kutchi,Hindustani (Hindi–Urdu),Bengali,Tamil,Telugu andMalayalam. People from Pakistan speakUrdu,Punjabi,Mirpuri,Hindko (dialects of Punjabi),Sindhi,Kashmiri,Pashto andSaraiki. Gujaratis who emigrated from India and East Africa speakGujarati,Hindi, andKutchi (a dialect of Sindhi), while a sizeable number ofGujarati Muslims speak Urdu for religious and cultural reasons.^[84] Bangladeshis mainly speakSylheti Bengali and other dialects of Bengali. People from Sri Lanka speak Tamil andSinhala. Speakers of different dialects mainly refer to their dialects as the main language, for example Sylheti Bengali speakers refer to the Sylheti dialect as just "Bengali" and Mirpuri speakers sometimes say they speak Punjabi. The reason for this is that for any given ethnic community, their region-specific dialect is the normative form of the language used.^[85]

Asian Britons have significant numbers of adherents to various major religions. Based on2011 census figures forEngland and Wales (94.7 percent of UK statistics), Muslims account for 43% of the group, while Hindus make up over 18%, and Christians almost 11%. Sikhs constitute nearly 9% of British Asians, and 3.5% are Buddhists.^[87]

British Chinese are mainlyirreligious, with 55% of the population subscribing to no religion, 19% Christians and 12% Buddhists. British Pakistanis and Bangladeshis tend to be religiously homogeneous, with Muslims accounting for 92% of each group while their counterparts of Indian and Sri Lankan origin are more religiously diverse, with 55% Hindus, 29% Sikhs, and 15% Muslims. British Gujaratis are predominantly Hindu, belonging to various caste organizations, with large minorities ofMuslims,Jains, and smaller numbers of Christians andZoroastrians. Notable religious buildings are theEast London Mosque,London Central Mosque,Birmingham Central Mosque,Baitul Futuh Mosque,BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London,Bradford Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple, Shikharbandi Jain Derasar inPotters Bar,^[88]Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha inSouthall andGuru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara inGravesend.

The publication ofSalman Rushdie's novelThe Satanic Verses in 1988 causedmajor controversy. Muslims condemned the book forblasphemy. On 2 December 1988 the book was publicly burned at a demonstration inBolton attended by 7,000 Muslims, followed by a similar demonstration and book-burning inBradford on 14 January 1989.^[89] In 1989AyatollahRuhollah Khomeini ofIran issued afatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie.^[90]

Britain is also home of notable Asian religious leaders and scholars. Some of them areMirza Masroor Ahmad (Caliph of theAhmadiyya Community),Sheikh Abdul Qayum (one of the best known scholars in Europe and Chief Imam ofEast London Mosque),Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq (Khateeb ofBirmingham Central Mosque), Dr. Mahmudul Hasan (Khateeb of Essex Mosque), Abdur Rahman Madani (Chairman of Global Eid Trust and Chief Imam of Darul Ummah Mosque),Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi (principal ofHijaz College),Ajmal Masroor (Imam and Liberal Democrats politician) andPramukh Swami Maharaj (fifth spiritual successor of HinduSwaminarayan).

The earliest date at which South Asians settled inGreat Britain is unclear. If theRomany are included, then the earliest arrivals were in theMiddle Ages. DNA surveys have linked Romanies to present-day South Asian populations and theRomani language is a member of theIndo-Aryan language family. Romanies are believed to have begun travelling westward around 1000 CE, and have mixed withMiddle Eastern and European populations over many centuries. Romani began arriving in sizeable numbers in parts ofWestern Europe in the 16th century. The Romani who settled in Britain are sometimes known asRomanichal, but there are several subgroups within theRomani population of the United Kingdom today.^[91]

The first educated South Asian to travel to Europe and live in Britain wasI'tisam-ud-Din, aBengali Muslim cleric,munshi and diplomat to theMughal Empire who arrived in 1765 with his servant Muhammad Muqim during the reign ofKing George III.^[92] He wrote of his experiences and travels in hisPersian book,Shigurf-nama-i-Wilayat ('Wonderous Chronicle of Europe').^[93] This is also the earliest record of literature by a British Asian. Also during the reign of George III, thehookah-bardar (hookah servant/preparer) ofJames Achilles Kirkpatrick was said to have robbed and cheated Kirkpatrick, making his way to England and stylising himself as thePrince ofSylhet. The man was waited upon by theBritish Prime MinisterWilliam Pitt the Younger, and then dined with theDuke of York before presenting himself in front of the King.^[94]

When the Portuguese explorerVasco da Gama arrived inCalicut, India in 1498, he established the firstEuropean-Asian sea route (commonly called the Cape Route), opening up direct maritime passage between South Asia and Europe. An extension of this route, devised by the Dutch explorerHendrik Brouwer in 1611 and known as theBrouwer Route, subsequently found a new waterway to Southeast Asia.

In the following centuries, theUnited Kingdom, and its predecessor states, utilised these sea routes to form theBritish Empire. Capitilising on their growing naval dominance among the other European powers, the British colonised the coastal areas in the West, South, Southeast and East of the continent, creating dozens of British colonies and protectorates in Asia. The administrators of the British Empire termed Asian labourers working for themcoolies, of whichlascars were considered the maritime equivalent.^[95]

Lascars were sailors or seamen from many different ethnic backgrounds. The term was sometimes used to specifically refer to a sailor of any Asian ancestry, however there were also African lascars recorded in Britain.^[96] Of the Asian lascars, AustronesianMalay people, from Southeast Asia, formed a significant part of the lascar population settling in, and sailing to and from Britain.^[97] From East Asia,Japanese andChinese seamen were often operating as lascars for British ships and trading companies.^[96] From South Asia, Indians made up a huge proportion of these sea crews, particularly in theEast India Company's earliest decades of operation.^[98]Parsees (who originate fromPersia, West Asia) andLuso-Asians of mixed Portuguese and Indian heritage, also came from South Asia to work as lascars.^[99] From West Asia,Armenians formed part of diverse lascar crews,^[99] andYemenis increasingly served as lascar sailors and militiamen after the completion of theSuez Canal in 1869, going on to open businesses, likeboarding houses, in port cities such as Cardiff and South Shields.^[100][101] There were also the Ceylonese (Sri Lankans) and the Bengalis who also took part in sailing.^[102]

Following theSecond World War and thebreakup of theBritish Empire, South Asian migration to the UK increased through the 1950s and 1960s from Pakistan (including present-day Bangladesh), India and Sri Lanka (who are all members of theCommonwealth). Immigrants from formerCaribbean colonies (includingIndo-Caribbeans) were also moving to Britain.

Although this immigration was continuous, several distinct phases can be identified:

• Manual workers, mainly from Pakistan, were recruited to fulfill the labour shortage that resulted from World War II. These includedAnglo-Indians who were recruited to work on the railways as they had done in India.
• Workers mainly from thePunjab region of India and Pakistan arrived in the late 1950s and 1960s. Many worked in the foundries of the EnglishMidlands and a large number worked atHeathrow Airport in west London. This created an environment to where the next generation of families did not lose their identity as easily. An example would beSouthall which is populated by manySikhs.
• During the same time, medical staff from theIndian subcontinent were recruited for the newly formedNational Health Service. These people were targeted as the British had established medical schools in the Indian subcontinent which conformed to the British standards of medical training.

Bengali social reformer and founder of the All-India Seamen's Federation,Aftab Ali's work is recognised to have helped thousands of Asianlascars to migrate, settle and find employment inBritain.^[103] He organised rallies and meetings with the likes of theTrades Union Congress. He encouraged lascars and seamen to remain and settle in the United Kingdom. In the 1950s, he founded the Overseas Seamen's Welfare Association which campaigned distressed seamen and their families to be grantedBritish passports. Ali also played an instrumental role in the opening of a passport office in his own home inSylhet.^[104]

Beginning around 1964Africanization policies in East Africa prompted the arrival of Asians with British passports from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. At first these were the people employed in government and administrative roles, but this was expanded to include those Asians engaged in commerce. The movement was called the "Exodus".^[105]

In 1972, all South Asians wereexpelled from Uganda by the controversial figureIdi Amin, then president of Uganda. Those holding British passports came to Britain. Many such displaced people who were predominantly ofGujarati origins had left behind successful businesses and vast commercial empires in Uganda, but built up their lives all over again in Britain, starting from scratch. Some of these "twice-over" migrants became retailers, while others found suitable employment in white-collar professions.

TheCommonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 andImmigration Act 1971 largely restricted any furtherprimary immigration, although family members of already-settled migrants were still allowed. In addition, much of the subsequent growth in the South Asian community has come from the births of second and third-generation South Asian Britons.

AfterBrexit, EU nationals working in the health and social care sector were replaced by migrants from non-EU countries such as India.^[106][107] About 250,000 people came from India, 90,000 from China and 83,000 from Pakistan in 2023.^[108]

In 2021, the government launched ascheme for Hongkongers, with more than 200,000 Hong Kong residents immigrating to the UK.^[109]

Several Asian Britons have broken into theUK film industry, as well as Hollywood, and theU.S. film industry at large; starring in high-grossingbox office films, including majorfilm series, and receiving subsequent international recognition and media attention. In television, prominent roles in American sitcoms, series, and long-running British soap operas, such asCoronation Street,EastEnders,Emmerdale andHollyoaks, have all had a number of Asian characters portrayed by British actors of Asian heritage.

Tsai Chin, the first Asian British actress to play aBond girl, appeared in 1967'sYou Only Live Twice and the 2006 re-make ofCasino Royale.^[110]Burt Kwouk, who appeared in over fifty films, including three of theJames Bond film series, received anOBE for services to drama in 2010.^[111]Art Malik had notable roles inThe Jewel in the Crown andThe Living Daylights, and SirBen Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji) is one of Britain's most acclaimed and well-known performers. Kingsley is one of few actors to have won all four major motion picture acting awards, receivingOscar,BAFTA,Golden Globe andScreen Actors Guild awards throughout his career, including theAcademy Award for Best Actor for his performance inGandhi (1982).^[112]

The actorDev Patel, who played the role ofAnwar Kharral in the teen drama seriesSkins, portrayed the leading role inDanny Boyle'sSlumdog Millionaire, for which he received several awards and was nominated for the2009 BAFTA Award forBest Leading Actor.^[113]Parminder Nagra, who played a prominent role in the US TV seriesER, starred in successful British filmBend It Like Beckham (2002). The actorNaveen Andrews plays the role ofSayid Jarrah in the popular US TV seriesLost, and also had a prominent role in the award-winning filmThe English Patient (1996).Kunal Nayyar plays the character ofRaj Koothrappali in the popular US sitcom,The Big Bang Theory.^[114]

Gemma Chan andBenedict Wong have featured in theMarvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Chan has had two starring roles in both 2019'sCaptain Marvel andEternals (2021), making her the first actress to portray separate characters within the cinematic universe.^[115] Wong, who has also appeared in twoRidley Scott films (Prometheus andThe Martian), first appeared for a Marvel production in 2016'sDoctor Strange, twice reprising the role forAvengers: Infinity War (2018) andEndgame (2019), the latter of which is the highest grossing release in film history.^[116]Riz Ahmed has starred in both theBourne film series andStar Wars saga, appearing in anthology filmRogue One.^[117]Star Wars, Marvel'sThe Avengers, the Bourne andJames Bond film series are some of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time.^[118]

Anish Kapoor is an Indian-born British sculptor. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at theHornsey College of Art and later at theChelsea College of Art and Design. Kapoor received theTurner Prize in 1991.Poulomi Desai, born in Hackney, London is a photographer andsound artist working with noise and electricity since the 1980s. She is an Oram Awards winner and curator of Usurp Art.^[119] Born in London and of Asian origin,Shezad Dawood became known for this work in various media in the early 2000s. Also born in London and of Pakistani origin,Haroon Mirza emerged as an artist in the late 2000s. Best known for his sculptural installations that generate sound, Mirza was awarded the Silver Lion for the Most Promising Artist at the54th Venice Biennale in 2011.

Shahidul Alam is aBangladeshi photojournalist, teacher and social activist. He has been a photographer for more than forty years and "his photographs have been published in almost every major western media outlet".^[120]Saiman Miah is anarchitectural designer andgraphic designer who designed one of the two £5commemorative coins for the2012 London Summer Olympics.^[121]

Osman Yousefzada, ofAfghan and Pakistani heritage, is an artist and fashion designer who was referred to as the "re-inventor of the Little Black Dress" byVogue magazine in 2008.^[122] He had eventually become a renowned dresser, with several famous female celebrities wearing dresses created by Yousefzada.^[123] He also designed a large piece of public art at Selfridges Birmingham, in his home city, which was on display during the2022 Commonwealth Games.^[124]

Theatre companyRIFCO Arts has been producing and touring productions based on the British Asian experience since 1999.^[125]

Well-known South Asian writers includeMuhammad Mojlum Khan,Abdur Rouf Choudhury,Aminul Hoque,Shahida Rahman,H.S. Bhabra,Salman Rushdie,Ghulam Murshid,Tahir Shah,Gurinder Chadha,Nazrin Choudhury,Rekha Waheed,Hanif Kureishi,Monica Ali,Meera Syal,Gautam Malkani,Bali Rai andRaman Mundair.

Since the 1970s, South Asian performers and writers have achieved significant mainstream cultural success. The first South Asian musician to gain wide popularity in the UK and worldwide fame wasQueen lead singerFreddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara inZanzibar, East Africa, to parents ofParsi descent fromBombay (now Mumbai). In 2006,Time Asia magazine voted him as one of the most influential SouthAsians in the past 60 years.^[126] At around the same time, music producer, composer and songwriterBiddu gained worldwide fame for a number of hit songs, including "Kung Fu Fighting" byCarl Douglas and "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)" forTina Charles. In the 1990s the South Asian artists who gained mainstream success includedApache Indian, whose 1993 single "Boom Shack-A-Lak" was used in manyHollywood movies, andJas Mann, who headedBabylon Zoo and whose 1996 single "Spaceman" set a UK chart record when it sold 418,000 copies in its first week of release. The most successful South Asian musician in 2008 was theBritish Tamil artistM.I.A., who was nominated for twoGrammy Awards for her single "Paper Planes", and has been nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Score for "O... Saya", from theSlumdog Millionaire soundtrack.

In 2009, R&B and hip-hop artist,Mumzy Stranger, became the first British Bangladeshi to release a music single; titled "One More Dance".^[127] In October 2009, Jay Sean's single "Down" reached the #1 on theBillboard Hot 100^[128] and sold four million copies in the United States,^[129][130] making him the first South Asian-origin solo artist and "the first UKUrban act to topBillboard's Hot 100,"^[131] "the most successful male UK urban artist in US chart history,"^[132] and the most successful British male artist in the US charts sinceElton John in 1997. A new generation of British Asian musicians have followed such asRaxstar, Bilal and Nish. In the early 2010s, Asian boy band members,Siva Kaneswaran ofthe Wanted andZayn Malik ofOne Direction, have gained considerable mainstream popularity worldwide; the Wanted reached No. 3 on theBillboard Hot 100 with "Glad You Came" while One Direction topped theBillboard 200 withUp All Night. British Bangladeshi YouTuber-turned-rapper Koomz is best known for his breakthrough single "Mariah" which has hit over 10 million streams and views across many platforms and also Number 1 in the Official Asian Music Chart of 2018.^[133][134]

There is a growing number of young British Asians who are making a mark in the charity and interfaith sectors. A recent example is Onkardeep Singh who became the youngest person of South Asian heritage in 2018 to be awarded anMBE for his interfaith and voluntary works.^[135]Saif Uddin Ahmad is a humanitarian and chief executive officer ofAl-Khair Foundation. He was formerly the chief executive officer of the UK charitiesMuslim Aid andIslamic Help, and he also founded the charities Faith Regen foundation, MADE in Europe and Global One 2015.^[136]Responsible investment consultant and writer,Niaz Alam was a trustee of the charityWar on Want from 2000 to 2007.^[137]

Mohammed Salim ofBengal became the firstSouth Asian to play for a European football club in 1936.^[138] In his two appearances forCeltic F.C., he played the entire matches barefoot and scored several goals.^[139]Anwar Uddin began his career atWest Ham United, where he joined the winning team of the1999 FA Youth Cup Finals. In May 2015, he was appointed manager ofSporting Bengal United.^{[140][141][142]}Aston Villa defender,Neil Taylor andLeicester City midfielderHamza Choudhury are the first players of Bengali descent to play in the Premier League. Choudhury has also made appearances for theEngland under-21 team.

Michael Chopra played for theEngland national under-21 football team and became the firstfootballer of Indian descent to play and score in thePremier League. In 2006 he scored one of the fastest goals in Premier League history, as Chopra had only been on the pitch for fifteen seconds after coming on as a substitute.^[143]

Jawaid Khaliq, the first world champion boxer ofPakistani origin, was born inNottingham.^{[citation needed]}Amir Khan, born in Bolton, won a silver medal at the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens and went on to become a world light-welterweight boxing champion.^{[citation needed]}Bulbul Hussain ofWhitechapel is a wheelchair rugby player of Bengali origin, and he has been a part of theGreat Paralympic Team since 2008.

Just as in South Asia, the most popular sport among the British Asian community is cricket; as much as third of the players of the sport at recreational level are of South Asian descent.^[144] This has not translated into equal levels of success professionally however, with only 4.2% of cricketers being of British South Asian descent in first-class cricket across the UK.^[144] Regardless, many British South Asians have gone on to representEngland in cricket internationally.Nasser Hussain, who was the captain of theEngland cricket team, was born in Madras, India.^[145] Other success stories of the past have includedMark Ramprakash, ofIndo-Caribbean descent,Isa Guha, ofBengali descent, andMonty Panesar, of Indian Sikh descent. Currently,Moeen Ali andAdil Rashid are the only players in the England men's squad, both of Pakistani (Mipuri) descent.

Other British Asian sport personalities:

The comediansSanjeev Bhaskar,Meera Syal,Papa CJ andShazia Mirza are all well-recognised figures in Britishpopular culture. The presenter and match maker of the BBC marriage arranging showArrange Me a Marriage is a South Asian-ScotAneela Rahman.Hardeep Singh Kohli is a presenter, reporter and comedian on British television and radio. British Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian contestants have appeared onThe Apprentice includingSyed Ahmed, Tre Azam, Lohit Kalburgi, Ghazal Asif, Shazia Wahab, Sara Dhada, and most notablySaira Khan, who is now a British TV presenter. The broadcastersDaljit Dhaliwal,Krishnan Guru-Murthy andSamira Ahmed are known for working onChannel 4 News. The fashion modelNeelam Gill has worked withBurberry,Abercrombie & Fitch and appeared inVogue magazine.

In 2008, in thesecond series of reality televisionBritain's Got Talent, one of the country's most successfulreality television shows, the South Asian dance duoSignature, consisting of Suleman Mirza (a British Pakistani) and Madhu Singh (aBritish Indian) performing a fusion ofMichael Jackson andBhangra music and dance styles, came second on the show.

Humza Arshad andAli Shahalom are well known British Asian comedians for their YouTube careers which normally consists of stereotyping Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Muslim culture. In 2011, one ofHumza Arshad's video was the seventh most viewed onYouTube inEurope.^[146][147] British Bangladeshi comedian Ali Shahalom, along with British Pakistani comedian Aatif Nawaz, starred on BBC's first ever British Muslim sketch show, Muzlamic.

In 2001, the Centre for Social Markets estimated that British Asian businesses contributed more than £5 billion to GDP.^[148] Many British Asians are regarded as affluent middle-class people.^[149][150] As business owners and entrepreneurs,^[151] Asian Britons are celebrated for revolutionising the corner shop, expanding the take-away food trade,^[152] including the revitalisation of the UK'sfish and chips industry byBritish Chinese,^[153] and energising the British economy to a degree which changed Britain's antiquated retail laws forever.^{[154][155][156]} In 2004, it was reported that Sikhs had the highest percentage of home ownership in the country, at 82%, out of all UK religious communities. Hindus ranked third highest at 74%, Buddhists were 54%, and Muslims households were listed at 52%.^[157]

Many Asian British people have made important contributions to the country's economy by leading and innovating in major UK and international industries. Due to their commercial success, there are a number of British citizens or UK-resident billionaires of Asian ancestry in the United Kingdom. From aBaniya family,Lakshmi Mittal is one of Britain's richest men. In 2017,Forbes ranked him as the 56th-richest person in the world with a net worth of US$20.4 billion. He is also the "57th-most powerful person" of the 72 individuals named inForbes' "Most Powerful People" list for 2015.^[158] TheSunday Times Rich List has included Mittal in its listings since the mid-2000s.

For several years, the publication has had anAsian Rich List section, featuring the wealthiest Asian Britons and UK-residents of Asian descent. In 2019, eight of the top ten, including Mittal, were of a South Asian ethnic background, including Indian-born BritonS. P. Hinduja, ofSindhi heritage, who topped the rankings via theHinduja Group, with an estimated fortune of £22 billion.^[159] Exceptions included British nationalsDavid and Simon Reuben, who were both born in India, and were listed in joint-second place. The Reuben brothers, of West AsianBaghdadi Jewish heritage, are worth over £18 billion. Part of the top ten since 2018, property magnate, andLondon-resident,Samuel Tak Lee is of East Asian descent and born inBritish Hong Kong.^[160] Other 2019Asian Rich List UK billionaires included British-IraqiNadhmi Auchi and British-IranianFarhad Moshiri.^[159]

The biggest influence of South Asians on popular British culture has probably been the spread ofIndian cuisine, though of the 9,000 Indian restaurants in the UK, most are run bySylhetis; theirancestral home was part of British India untilpartition in 1947.

An early record of a Sylheti migrant, by the name of Saeed Ullah, can be found in colonial officerRobert Lindsay's autobiography. Saeed Ullah was said to have migrated not only for work but also to attack Lindsay and avenge his Sylheti elders for theMuharram Rebellion of 1782.^[161] They eventually made peace with each other and Saeed was invited to Lindsay's home as a chef. Saeed Ullah's curry is often considered as the first Indian curry cooked in Britain.^[162][163]

Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi claimed to be the firstSylheti to own a restaurant in the country. It was calledDilkush and was located inSoho.^[164] Another one of his restaurants, known asIndia Centre, alongsideearly Sylheti migrantAyub Ali Master's Shah Jalal cafe, became hub for the British Asian community and was sites where the India League would hold meetings attracting influential figures such asSubhas Chandra Bose,Krishna Menon andMulk Raj Anand. Ali was an influential figure who supported working-class lascars, providing them food and shelter. In 1943, Qureshi and Ali founded theIndian Seamen's Welfare League which ensured social welfare for British Asians. Ayub Ali was also the president of theUnited Kingdom Muslim League having links withLiaquat Ali Khan andMuhammad Ali Jinnah.^[165]

The Indian International Chef of the Year Competition founded in 1991 by celebrity chef and restaurateurMohammad Ajman "Tommy" Miah MBE.^[166]The British Curry Awards was founded by restaurateurEnam AliMBE in 2005.^[167]

Like India, Bhangra music has become popular among many in Britain^[168] not only from the works ofBritish South Asian musicians such asPanjabi MC,Swami andRishi Rich but also incorporated into the works of a number of non-South Asian musicians not only British but including North American artists such as CanadianShania Twain, who created a whole alternate version of her multi-platinum albumUp! with full Indian instrumentation, produced by South Asian producersSimon & Diamond. Diamond, better known asDJ Swami has also collaborated with rapperPras, of theFugees, and his bandSwami have become one of the most renowned acts in South Asian music history, having had songs in major Hollywood movies and best-selling video games.

One of the first artists of South Asian Indian origin to achieve mainstream success wasApache Indian who infused reggae and hip hop with Indian popular music to create a sound that transcended genre and found a multicultural audience. He is the only Indian artist to have achieved 7 top forty hits in the National UK charts. A subsequent wave of "Asian Underground" artists went on to blend elements of western underground dance music and the traditional music of their home countries, such asNitin Sawhney,Talvin Singh,Asian Dub Foundation,Panjabi MC,Raghav, and theRishi Rich Project (featuring Rishi Rich,Jay Sean andJuggy D).

The influence of South Asian music has not only been from South Asians living in the UK, but also from some UK artists that were starting using South Asian instruments creating a new sound that was a mixture of sitars and tablas with more rock-based western instruments like drums and guitar.^[169][170]

The filmsEast Is East,Chicken Tikka Masala andBend It Like Beckham and the TV showsGoodness Gracious Me andThe Kumars at No. 42 have managed to attract large, multi-ethnic audiences. The success and popularity of British Pakistani boxerAmir Khan influenced the revival ofboxing onITV Sport.

In 1995,Channel 4 youth culture showThe Word hired British mainstream TV's first female South Asian TV PresenterJasmine Dotiwala as the show's global showbiz reporter.

The Asian web seriesCorner Shop Show was launched by actor and directorIslah Abdur-Rahman aired from 2014 to 2019.^[171]

In 2020,BBC Four released an episode ofA Very British History focusing on thehistory of British Bangladeshis and emigration from Bangladesh from the 1960s onwards, hosted by DrAminul Hoque.^[172]

Although there are roughly double the number of South Asians in the UK today compared to people of African descent, South Asians are less represented in global and British media than any other major group; in the UK there is less than half the amount of South Asians represented in the media than those of African and Caribbean descent.

With the increasing number of high achievers and trail blazers within the Asian community across a variety of professions, the British Asian community has over the years set up a variety of high-profile Award ceremonies to recognise Asian achievements across the full spectrum of professions and industries. These organisations and ceremonies include:

• Asian Achievers Awards organised byAsian Voice since 2000 with women dominating the nominee list for the first time in 2017^[173]
• Asian Women of Achievement Awards organised byPinky Lilani CBE DL since 1999^[174]
• Asian Legal Awards organised by the Society for Asian Lawyers since 1994 making it one of the oldest Asian awards ceremonies^[175]
• Asian Curry Awards celebrating the best ofAsian restaurants since 2010
• The Asian Awards organised by the Lemon Group since 2010 and usually attended by a host of leading celebrities^[176]
• The Asian Professional Awards organised byJasvir Singh CBE andParam Singh since 2014 aimed at celebrating success within the City professions^[177]
• The British Curry Awards founded by restaurateurEnam AliMBE in 2005.^[167]
• Indian International Chef of the Year Competition founded in 1991 by celebrity chef and restaurateurMohammad Ajman "Tommy" MiahMBE.^[166]

British Asians from a wide range of backgrounds have faced discrimination and racism since the second half of the twentieth century. There have been examples of abuse faced by British Asians and their communities, dating from the 1960s up until the 2020s. FollowingEnoch Powell'sRivers of Blood speech, and the establishment of theNational Front in the late 1960s, the South Asian community in particular facedracial discrimination. This included overt racism in the form ofPaki bashing, predominantly fromwhite power skinheads, the National Front, and theNational Party, throughout the 1970s and 1980s.^[178] British Asians have been historically subjected to forms of discrimination and racism since significant immigration into the UK during the 20th century.^[179] Drawing inspiration from thecivil rights movement, theBlack Power movement, and theSouth African anti-Apartheid Movement, young British Asian activists began a number ofanti-racist Asian youth movements in the 1970s and 1980s, including the Bradford Youth Movement in 1977, the Battle of Brick Lane following the murder ofAltab Ali in 1978, and theNewham Youth Movement following the murder of Akhtar Ali Baig in 1980.^[180]

According to the UK'shate crime statistics, during thecoronavirus pandemic hate crimes directed at both South and East Asian communities increased between two and three-fold.^{[15][181][182]}

A 2020YouGov survey found that 61 percent of Asians (under the label "Other Asian") had experienced being called aracial slur, withBritish Chinese in particular, self-reporting being racially abused at 76 percent.^[183][184]

There have been reports and examples of cultural difficulties with tolerance forLGBT people within some Asian British communities.ITV News has reported: "For many in the Asian Community the fear of stigma or rejection from family leads them to hide their true self and in extreme cases turn to alcoholism, drugs and even suicide".^[185]

In 1987, pioneers, Shivanandan Khan and Poulomi Desai co-founded Shakti,the first South Asian LGBTQ campaigning group in Europe.

In 2014, Nazim Mahmood, a British Asian medical doctor working inHarley Street, committed suicide after being advised to "seek a cure" for his sexuality by his parents. As a result of Mahmood's suicide, theNaz and Matt Foundation was created, as a charity to challengehomophobia caused by religious and cultural beliefs.^[186]

In 2017, it was reported how gay Asian Britons were "forced into heterosexual marriages" by cultural and religious pressure.^[187] As a result, some were actively finding other gay members of the opposite sex for, what theBBC described as, "marriages of convenience".^[188]

In 2018, theBBC reported how Britishcomedy-drama seriesAckley Bridge had challenged "the taboo and divisive subject ofhomosexuality" in British Asian society.^[189] The broadcaster also reported how aComRes survey showed that Asian British people, of all ages, appeared to hold "more socially conservative views on gay relationships".^[190] According to a survey by the charityStonewall, more than 50 percent of Asian Britons who identified as LGBT had faced discrimination.^[191]

In 2019, the BBC documented the struggle for gay men to find acceptance in the UK'sPunjabiSikh community.^[192]ITV News has reported on similar difficulties for gay Sikhs living inRochdale.^[193] In 2020, British actressJameela Jamil, describing herself as "queer", stated that "it's not easy within the south Asian community to be accepted".^[194]

In February 2023,Jasvir Singh CBE, who is described as being "one of the most prominent Sikh voices in British public life", spoke openly about his life as a married gay Sikh man.^[195] It was reported that he had received death threats to his life from some elements of the British Sikh community, and that he was also called an infidel on a television station.^[196]

• BBC Radio PlayerArchived 2006-10-11 at theWayback Machine discussion on the dissatisfaction over the term Asian
• hWeb – An outline of the immigration pattern of the Pakistani community in Britain
• BBC News Many Asians 'do not feel British' 30 July 2007 based on ICM Research poll conducted 4–12 July 2007
• Reassessing what we collect website – The Asian Community in London History of Asian London with objects and images

• Asian diaspora in the United Kingdom
• British people of South Asian descent
• British people of East Asian descent

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