| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 17,048 Sierra Leonean born(2001)[1] Ancestral Numbers Unknown | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| London,Sheffield,Liverpool,Cardiff,Birmingham,Manchester,Leicester andBristol | |
| Languages | |
| Krio,English,Mende,Temne,Mandingo | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity · Sunni Islam · Atheism |
Sierra Leoneans in the United Kingdom are citizens or residents of theUnited Kingdom who are ofSierra Leonean descent. In 2001, there were 17,048 Sierra Leonean-born residents of the UK.[1]
Sierra Leonean migration to the UK has a long history, with traders, chiefs, doctors and lawyers sending their children to be educated in Britain in increasing numbers from the mid-19th century.[2] In the late 18th century, the settlement ofFreetown, Sierra Leone was established by freed African Americans,Afro Caribbeans, andBlack Britons who were evacuated to Sierra Leone. TheProvince of Freedom was founded with the support of theCommittee for the Relief of the Black Poor. This settlement lasted from 1787 to 1789 when it was destroyed by indigenous tribesmen.[3] The city ofFreetown was founded in 1792 byBlack Nova Scotians who were later joined byJamaican Maroonfreedmen in 1900. Today, their descendants are theSierra Leone Creole people.[4]
There was a small Sierra Leonean population in the UK in the early part of the 20th century and Sierra Leoneans served in theBritish Armed Forces duringWorld War II.[5] More recent migration from Sierra Leone to the UK has includedrefugees fleeing theSierra Leone Civil War. One author states that some 17,000 Sierra Leonean refugees arrived in the UK between 1992 and 2003.[5] Prior to the war, starting in the 1960s, smaller numbers of refugees arrived in the UK.[5] The Sierra Leonean migrant population includes numerousethnic groups, includingSierra Leonean-Lebanese.[5] Most Sierra Leonean refugees in the UK live inLondon, with smaller numbers found inManchester and other major cities.[5]
The UK Office of National Statistics recorded 23,000 Sierra Leoneans living in England and Wales in 2011.[6]
