Algerians in the United Kingdom

Algerians in the United Kingdom are residents of the UK with ancestry from Algeria. They include Algerian-born immigrants and their British-born descendants.

Background

According to the Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (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, 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, Leyton and Finsbury Park (area) (the latter of which has come to be commonly known as 'Little Algiers'). Besides the British capital, significant communities of Algerians reside in Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, 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 Arabs by country of birth.

Age and gender

A 2007 investigation by the International Organization for Migration 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. The East London Mosque 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, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Sierra Leone 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 and the right of abode (1998–2007).

Notable people

* Elyes Gabel: actor well known for his roles in the BBC
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