Nepalese in the United Kingdom (also British Nepalese, Nepalese British, British Nepali) are British citizens or full-time residents of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and No ...

whose ethnic origins lie fully or partially in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. According to ONS estimates in 2019 there were 76,000 Nepalese-born people in the country.

History

From the first quarter of the 19th century,

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recru ...

s from Nepal served in the British Army, and Gurkha soldiers' families lived in the UK. People from Nepal living in the UK belong to many different Nepalese ethnic groups or castes and may have different languages although all speak Nepali as a mother tongue. In 1965, the first settlement of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

's Nepalese community was made at 145 Whitfield Street in Camden. A commemorative plaque now stands on the site.

Demographics

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 Census in the United Kingdom, UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organis ...

recorded 5,943 Nepali-born people were residing in the UK. In 2008, the president of the Himalayan Yeti Nepalese Association was reporting as estimating that up to 50,000 Nepalese might be living in the UK. The

2011 UK Census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

recorded 48,497 people born in Nepal living in England, 1,011 in Wales, 1,268 in Scotland and 105 in Northern Ireland.

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament. Overv ...

estimates suggest that 62,000 Nepalese-born people were resident in the UK in 2016. At the time of the 2011 census, the regions with the largest Nepalese-born populations were London and South East England, with 19,051 and 19,111 people respectively. In particular there are significant communities in Aldershot and Folkestone due to links with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

. Of the 49,508 Nepalese-born in England and Wales, 56 per cent stated that they were Hindus, 25.9 per cent Buddhists and 3.8 per cent Christians. 1.7 per cent stated that they did not have a religion and a small number specified other religions. 11.8 per cent did not provide an answer to the religion question. 52.9 per cent of the Nepalese-born population of England and Wales had arrived during the period 2007 to 2011, 34.6 per cent between 2001 and 2006, 11.4 per cent between 1981 and 2000, and 1.1 per cent prior to 1981. The London borough with the highest Nepalese born residents was

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwi ...

with 4,853 people.

Employment

, 3,430 Gurkhas were serving in the British Army. 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 Census in the United Kingdom, UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organis ...

, 34.8 per cent of Nepalese-born people in London were working in hotels or restaurants, 15.7 per cent in real estate and renting, 15.3 per cent in wholesale and retail, 9.6 per cent in health and social care.

Notable individuals

* Lachhiman Gurung * Dipprasad Pun * Tul Bahadur Pun *

Amita Suman Amita Suman (born 19 July 1997) is a Nepal–born British actress. She stars as Inej Ghafa in the Netflix series '' Shadow and Bone''. She had a recurring role as Naya in The CW series '' The Outpost''. Early life Suman was born in Kalikamai ...

Nirmal Purja Nirmal Purja (known as Nims or Nimsdai) ( ne, निर्मल पुर्जा; born 25 July 1983) is a Nepal-born naturalised British mountaineer and a holder of multiple mountaineering world records. Prior to taking on a career in moun ...

* Santosh Shah * Yama Buddha * Rambahadur Limbu * Kulbir Thapa

References

External links