| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Ethnic Central Asians: 3,661 (England and Wales only, 2021)[1] Other estimates: At least 10,667 Kazakh (5,432), Uzbek (2,864), Kyrgyz (1,132), Turkmen (784), Tajik (455),Other Central Asians (Unknown) All figures are the 2015 UN population estimates for the United Kingdom[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| London[3] | |
| Languages | |
| West/Central Asian language (all other) – 9,869 (includingKazakh language,Kyrgyz language,Tajik language,Turkmen language, andUzbek language) Number of speakers in England & Wales as a main language, of all usual residents aged 3 and over, from the 2021 census.[4] | |
| Religion | |
| Islam,Non-religious, others |
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| British people |
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| Eastern European |
| Northern European |
| Southern European |
| Western European |
| Central Asian |
| East Asian |
| South Asian |
| Southeast Asian |
| West Asian |
| African |
| Caribbean |
| Northern American |
| South American |
| Oceanian |
Central Asians in the United Kingdom areCentral Asians living in the United Kingdom. They have been present in the country since the 21st century[citation needed] and primarily originate from the countriesKazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, andUzbekistan.
TheUK Government considers the Central Asian sovereign states to beKazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan andUzbekistan.[5] According toUnited Nations population estimates conducted in 2015, there are over 10,000 Central Asian people residing in the United Kingdom.[2] In 2001,Nooralhaq Nasimi founded theAfghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) in London, which seeks to specifically help Afghan, as well as Central Asian refugees settle in the UK.[3]
The figures below represent data collected for the2021 United Kingdom census with the country as a reported birthplace recorded (i.e. does not include British born people of Central Asian origin). The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022.[6]
| State/Territory |  England(2021)[7] |  Scotland(2022)[8] |  Wales(2021)[7] | Northern Ireland (2021)[9] |  United Kingdom(2021/22) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kazakhstan | 5,604 | 1,067 | 128 | 72 | – |
 Uzbekistan | 3,789 | 47 | 21 | ||
 Kyrgyzstan | 1,364 | 37 | 0 | ||
| Other Central Asia | 1,557 | 22 | – | ||
| Total | 12,314 | 1,067 | 234 | 93 | 13,708 |
The UN has estimated that there are 5,432 Kazakhs living in the United Kingdom, as of 2015.[2] In 2009, it was reported that Kazakh entrepreneurs were achieving high positions in British industry.[10] Kazakh politicianDariga Nazarbayeva is a part-time resident in London.[11][12] In 2011, Kazakh businessmanMukhtar Ablyazov was granted asylum in the UK, along with his wife and children.[13] In 2018, aKazakh TV-feature reported how ethnic Kazakhs in the UK preserved their culture and language while living as part of the diaspora.[14]
Kazakhs have studied at British schools and universities since at least 2006.[15] In the 2006/2007 school year, private schoolHaileybury and Imperial Service College had 14 Kazakh students.[16] In 2020, it was reported that the UK was the most popular destination of Kazakhstan'sBolashak Programme, allowing the majority of its students to reside and study in Britain.[17]
Between 1997 and 2002, Kyrgyz diplomatRoza Otunbayeva resided inLondon, England, serving as the Central Asian nation's ambassador to the UK.[18] In 2007, theIsraeli Government helped support an appeal against the deportation of Kyrgyz nationals from the United Kingdom. The refugees, who were orphaned twin sisters and resided inBirmingham, England, were claiming asylum in the country.[19] Kyrgyz former politicianMaxim Bakiyev is a resident in the United Kingdom.[20][21] In 2015, the UN estimated there were 1,132 Kyrgyz residents in the UK.[2]
In 2013, Tajik child care workers gained temporary residency in the UK, travelling toFalkirk, Scotland for professional training in their field. The sharing of modern child care techniques was administered byFalkirk Council and funded by anEU-backed scheme.[22] By 2015, the UN had estimated a total population of 455 Tajiks in the country.[2]
In 2015, the UN estimated that there were 784 Turkmens residing in the United Kingdom.[2]
The second largest national subgroup of Central Asians after Kazakhs, theUnited Nations estimated a total population of 2,864 Uzbeks living in the United Kingdom in 2015.[2]
The Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – were in many respects dealt a difficult hand at independence.
Young Kazakhs are among former eastern bloc businessmen at top of British industry
Ethnic Kazakhs living in the United Kingdom are working towards preserving the national culture. Members of the Kazakh diaspora in UK want to promote their national traditions and pass them down to a younger generation.
Maybe the most angry Kazakhs in 2006 were our students in the UK and US. They understood the movie, but their non-Kazakh peers on campus did not.
Haileybury currently has 14 Kazakh pupils.
The European Union-backed scheme will see Tajikistani child care workers visit Falkirk Council to witness modern child care techniques first hand.
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