Indians now UK’s biggest overseas-born population

[Echo_419]

LONDON: Indians have become UK's biggest overseas-born population. Data released by the Office of National Statistics on Friday shows that the Indian population has grown by 50% since 2004 with 7.6 lakh of them living in the UK now. This has emerged as a significant factor in increasing the share of immigrants in Britain's population as opposed to those born in the country.

Indians are followed by Poles (6.88 lakhs), Pakistanis (5.16 lakhs), Irish (3.78 lakhs), Germans (2.97 lakhs) and Bangladeshis (2.28 lakhs). The Chinese (1.91 lakh) and Americans (1.97 lakh) are further down in the list.

The latest numbers point to the growing clout Indians enjoy in Britain's society. The importance of Indians in the UK was reflected by the fact that British Prime Minister David Cameron visited India thrice in his first term.

The contours of Britain's population have changed significantly in the period between 2004 and 2013. While the number of those born overseas has gone up by more than 2.6 million in this period, those born in the UK went up to only 1.4 million. This means that now, there is one immigrant for every seven people born in Britain.

In 2004, there were 52.58 lakh people in the country who were born overseas and 539.07 people who were born in Britain. By 2013, this grew to 79.21 lakh people who were born overseas and 553.09 who were born in the UK.

The changing face of Britain's population was also reflected in the election results in May this year. The House of Commons welcomed the highest number of MPs from ethnic minority backgrounds: 42 against 27 earlier.

By 2040, the number of foreign-born and non-white residents in UK is expected to double and account for a third of the population. One of the world's best experts on demographics, Professor David Coleman from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, has predicted that by 2070, white Britons may actually become a minority.

Cameron has gone on record saying his party will give Britain its first Asian prime minister.

The longest serving MP of Indian origin Keith Vaz said: "I am convinced that in my lifetime a person of Indian origin will become the prime minister of UK. The Indian diaspora is one of the largest and most historical of ethnic groups in the UK. We can already see the influence of this community in politics, and indeed the potential for British-Indian leaders to emerge to the very top positions including the Premiership of the UK".

Reverse colonization is on the way

 

[bloo]

They are working hard for their money. Looters are staying back home and looting their own in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, etc.

True, our looters have looted more since independence than the English actually did during Raj.

 

[Schutz]

Never heard Lakh being used to describe anything other than money, that confused me.

 

[PathanBangladeshi]

There would be more Bangladeshis but me and my family tick Afghan on the census. Many Bangladeshis also tick Persian, Turk and Arab. That's why Bangladeshi population seems lower.

 

[illusion8]

Why so many Indians leaving India? I thought India would be able to provide jobs etc by now considering its a Super power.

50 million Indians own passports or have had passports in their lifetime, 50 million out of 1210 million is less than 5%. Many of them haven't used their passports, many of them are tourists, business travelers, students. So it's not exactly "many".

 

[Kaniska]

Why so many Indians leaving India? I thought India would be able to provide jobs etc by now considering its a Super power.

You know the answer man...India is developing but it is not about the jobs for which people are living..Rather affording quality and peaceful life for which people are living....In 1980..people do not have jobs...so they came US..in 2015...it is different requirement..People come here above mentioned reasons..

 

[Nicky G]

UK's relevance has and will only continue to decline. They are now in their lost decade and most don't know it. So while its a good place for Indians to have a better life and Indian companies to own some business, from growth perspective, it offers little.

Why so many Indians leaving India? I thought India would be able to provide jobs etc by now considering its a Super power.

Should ask your 'higher than mountain and deeper than valley' friends with 10T economy.

Its very simple, individual opportunity. Developed vs developing.

If one had the opportunity to work in Microsoft India vs Microsoft US, unless the former provides significant higher benefits in real term, why would anyone not chose the latter?

 

[T90TankGuy]

The brits didn't really think that they could come over to our country stay for 200 yrs and not have us go and do the same

 

[Saiful Islam]

Indians suck in community spirit.. most tend to believe in individual effort in getting prosperous, basically the thought is: 'if I can work hard, keep my heads down, and get rich, I will earn respect. So I wont fight for my rights and wont join hands with others.'
I think chinese have similar ethics.

Pakistanis believe in empowerment through collective action. They are entusiastic about political process for example. Indians simpy dont believe that political empowerment can make any change to their lives.

I don't think it's community spirit. The Indian community make up of a few different ethnic groups in large proportions, for example there are very high concentrations of Gujaratis, Punjabis and South Indians in differents parts of the UK where as the British Paks are mainly Mirpuri who brang their whole Biraderi over (that's why they're all connected lol), this is the system which the Gujaratis in particular lack, they don't have village connections.

 

[mujhaidind]

Brown in color, white at heart. How are they indians exactly?