Algerians in the United Kingdom are residents of the
UK with ancestry from
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
. They include Algerian-born immigrants and their British-born descendants.
Background
According to the
Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees
The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR) was an organisation involved in academic research and information provision on asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2000, ICAR was initially based at King's College L ...
(ICAR), the UK's Algerian population is not well known or understood by the wider community.
The number of Algerians was small until the early 1990s, since when it has increased, partly as a result of the
Algerian Civil War of 1991 to 2002. However, the population remains small in comparison with other, more well-established refugee groups.
[ ICAR also argue that "there is little sense of a unified 'community'" of Algerians in the UK and that there is some degree of mutual suspicion amongst British Algerians.][
]
Demographics
Population
According to the 2001 UK census
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.
The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
, there were 10,670 Algerian born people living in the UK. The 2011 census recorded 23,601 residents of England, 328 of Wales, 895 of Scotland and 132 of Northern Ireland who were born in Algeria. The Office for National Statistics estimates that in 2017, 33,000 residents of the UK were born in Algeria.
Population distribution
Most Algerians in the UK can be found in the Greater London area - in particular Walthamstow, Edgware
Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...
, Leyton
Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...
and Finsbury Park (area)
Finsbury Park is an area towards the northern edge of Inner London, England, which grew up around an important railway interchange near the convergence of the Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney.
Finsbury Park should not be confused w ...
(the latter of which has come to be commonly known as 'Little Algiers'). Besides the British capital, significant communities of Algerians reside in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
, Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Leicester and Bournemouth.[
The National Association of British Arabs categorises Algeria-born immigrants as Arabs. Based on 2011 census data, it indicates that they are the fifth largest population of ]British Arab
British Arabs ( ar, عرب بريطانيا) are British citizens of Arab descent. They share a common Arab ethnicity, culture, language and identity from different Arab countries. Arabs also come from non-Arab countries as ethnic minorities. The ...
s by country of birth.
Age and gender
A 2007 investigation by the International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
The IOM w ...
found that the Algerian community in the UK in general was fairly young, close to half of all Algerians in the UK were projected to be under 40 years old.[ As already explained, the Algerian community in the UK is a fairly small but fast emerging ethnic group. The same IOM investigation suggested that out of all the Algerians living in the UK, 20% of them were registered in the 1991 UK Census and a further 30% in 2001 UK Census - with the remaining 50% having come during the first decade of the 21st century.][ In terms of gender, the 2001 census showed that 71% of Algerians in the UK were male, whilst recent estimates have suggested the imbalance between males and females could be even greater. This is thought to be down to the fact that men without documents are more likely to reach the UK than women without documents.][
]
Religion
Most Algerians living in the UK are Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. The East London Mosque
The East London Mosque (ELM) is situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets between Whitechapel and Aldgate East. Combined with the adjoining London Muslim Centre and Maryam Centre, it is one of the largest mosques in Europe accommodating ...
attracts a number of Algerians. However, the Suleymaniye Mosque, which is owned by the British-Turkish community, is also reported to attract many Algerians (especially Algerian Turks).[.]
Asylum seekers
Algeria is a significant source of asylum seekers to the UK. Most of these are law-abiding and peaceful citizens, but numerous Algerian individuals residing in the UK have come to public attention due to their extremist views. Algeria is by far the largest source of applications for asylum from Arab North Africa to the UK and alongside Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
as the African countries with the highest number of individuals applying for and receiving asylum rights in the UK. Below is a table showing the number of Algerians who applied for asylum in the UK compared to the number who actually gained it (1998–2007).[
]
Citizenship acquisition
Below is a table showing how many Algerians were granted British citizenship
British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...
and the right of abode (1998–2007).
Notable people
* Elyes Gabel
Elyes Cherif Gabel (; born 8 May 1983) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Dr Gurpreet "Guppy" Sandhu in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' (2004–2007), computer genius Walter O'Brien in the CBS series ''Scorpion ...
: actor well known for his roles in the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
: composer. He is a recipient of two British Composer Awards and some of his work has been recognised with two Grammy nominations
*
writer, musician and cultural activist. She is the founder o
: portrait photographer born in England where she spent her early years before moving to America. In 1901 she was considered as one of the “foremost women photographers in America” by the ''Ladies Home Journal''